Out of the Dark
by Newcastle Guy
Summary: An SG1/Atlantis/Galactica crossover set in 2010.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't Stargate or Battlestar Galactica, or anything associated with them

Out of the Dark

Part 1 of the Empires Series

**Prologue**

**Atlantis**

Samantha Carter stood on the balcony above the control room of Atlantis, her home. Watching the dazzling sun reflect off the New Lantean Sea always helped her to reflect on the day that had come before, whether it had been good or bad. When she began commanding Atlantis the first time, John had told her that Elizabeth had done the same thing before she was captured by the Asurans. According to him, it had always helped her to cope with the great responsibility that came with the job. Sam had found the advice very helpful, and now stood in the same spot in the evenings, whenever she could. Sometimes even for hours.

"There you are!" Rodney McKay walked out onto the balcony looking rather flustered. Sam smiled, taking one last look at the beautiful red sky in front of her, realising she wasn't going to be seeing it again until it was very dark… "I've been looking all over for you, the mess hall, your quarters, why is it always so hard to find you around here when you're supposed to be…"

"What's wrong, McKay?" Sam cut him off before he could finish his sentence, wishing he would just cut to the chase.

"Oh? Nothing, nothings wrong... In fact, everything's going fine. Really, you couldn't ask for things to go any smoother!" Sam stood, arms folded, and shot him a look. "Uh, yeah, I just wanted to show you something. I was skimming through the Ancient database when I came across something that I think you're going to find _very_ interesting…"

**Battlestar Galactica**

Laura Roslin stared at the cold, metal wall in front of her, a view that she was met with more than ever these days. The grey wall of the Galactica's infirmary, directly opposite her own specially reserved bed. It had become her least favourite wall in the universe. Galactica wasn't short of drab, metal walls, but this one… she truly loathed it. Doc Cottle had managed to use the blood of the hybrid child Hera to come up with a revolutionary new treatment which had allowed the President to live much longer than she had ever anticipated. However, as the effects the treatments had waned and she once again found herself succumbing to the symptoms of her cancer, the visits became longer and more intense, and as such she found the wall that was currently in front of her an ever more familiar sight.

All of a sudden, a brilliant white light filled the room, and then faded again. Another jump. No doubt another failed search for new resources. Resources that were so badly needed that Roslin felt that the civilians would begin ripping each other apart if they weren't found. "Here we go again…" She lay there, staring at the wall for a few more minutes, before Admiral William Adama appeared in the doorway.

"Madam President. I've got a feeling you're going to want to see this…"


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Atlantis**

Colonel John Sheppard stood in front of the Stargate and looked across the team at the bottom of the control room stairs. "OK People! This is a straight forward mission, we're going to locate that outpost, secure it, and then get to work finding out whether what we want is down there."

Sam Carter stood to one side of him, wearing her off-world gear and ready to go. She looked up at Chuck, Atlantis' resident technician, and gave the order. "Activate the Gate." With that, Chuck began dialling the address for M1K-773 and soon afterwards the Stargate activated, causing the unstable vortex of the wormhole to form only a meter from Sheppard and Carter's backs. "Let's go" she said, smiling as she thought about the potential of the discovery that could await them on that planet.

The two Colonels stepped out of the way, allowing Ronon Dex and Teyla Emmagan to lead the way, an excitable Rodney McKay finding it hard not to dart in front of them. Behind him were his sister Jeannie Miller, and his friend/sometimes rival Radek Zelenka. Major Alicia Vega brought up the rear. Sam was about to walk through herself when John placed a hand on her shoulder. "You sure you want to come? McKay isn't always spot on about these things… I wouldn't be surprised if the most interesting thing we find end's up being a few nicely arranged rocks…"

Carter chuckled. "Don't worry John, from what I saw in the database this place could be _pretty_ important. You don't want me missing out on the fun now, do you?" the two officers shared a smile, and then John led the way through. Sam caught something out of the corner of her eye before she followed, and turned. Dr. Daniel Jackson stood at the top of the stairs, one hand in his pocket the other up in the air, waving his old friend off. It wasn't the first time Sam had left him in charge, but even the first time she had, she had trusted him implicitly. Sam returned the wave before heading out through the gate.

**Galactica's CIC**

Admiral Adama and Laura Roslin stood in Galactica's CIC, staring across at each other. The room was silent while they awaited confirmation of what could possibly be the greatest news they'd heard since they escaped the Colonies. The tension in the room grew thicker with every passing second, until finally, a voice came through over the radio and filled the room. "Galactica, this is Starbuck." Everyone in the room tensed, not daring to move. "This baby _is_ habitable." With those four words, the room erupted, the mood changing in a split second. Smiles grew across the faces of both Roslin and Adama as they came together and embraced each other. This may not have been Earth, but it would do, for now at least.

"So Madame President, what's our next course of action?" Adama asked, still embracing her. The smile widened on Laura's face.

Meanwhile, far below the Galactica in the atmosphere of this new planet, Starbuck and Apollo flew side by side in their Vipers, staring up at the azure blue sky, and then down at the emerald land below them.

**M1K-773**

"See Sheppard? I _told_ you it was here. You just wouldn't listen…" Rodney McKay was smug. Smugger than usual, and that was never a good thing. But frankly, John couldn't care less. They had emerged from the forest, and there it was, right in front of them. The Ancient outpost, only about 150 metres over some slightly rocky terrain. And if the outpost was there, then the Aurora Class Warship was likely just underneath.

The team stood there, each one in slight awe. The outpost itself was pretty damn impressive. It stood at the base of a mountain, carved into it almost as if it were some kind of old Lantean temple. Of course the reality of it, and especially what the team expected was underneath it, was much more interesting. Radek was the first one to break the silence. "Well then. Let's get to work." With that, the team began walking towards their destination, each one of them with nothing but the thought of an Aurora Class Ship on their minds.

Within minutes, they were there, at the base of the impressive structure. "Right, Vega and Ronon, you guys stay up here and let us know if any uninvited guests come knocking."

Vega gave Sheppard a salute "Yes, Sir!" Sheppard sighed.

"What've I told you about that?" he asked, causing the younger office to smirk and relax. "The rest of you, you're with me and Colonel Carter."

The rest of the team began walking deeper into the outpost, but Sam put a hand on Sheppard's shoulder as he had done to her before. "John, what have I told _you_ about that?" She flashed him a smirk.

"Sorry… Sam" he replied, before returning the gesture. Both officers began following the team, leaving Vega and Ronon almost in stitches.

**Colonial Raptor**

Bill Adama sat in the front of the raptor, something he rarely did. This time, he wanted the best view he could possibly get as they set down on this new planet. Previous flyovers hadn't detected any intelligent life, and if there were any civilizations in the vicinity then they must have been extremely well hidden. He felt bad about making Laura stay on Galactica, but until he was absolutely certain the planet was safe, he wouldn't be letting her come down, no matter how much she tried to make it. He wasn't willing to risk her life.

"There" the Admiral said, pointing to a large open space near a mountain. The pilot complied with his orders and changed the Raptor's course. The other 6 Raptors behind them followed suit.

**Ancient Outpost**

"So, do you think Carson likes Jen?" Vega asked her Satedan friend as they stood 'guarding the door'. They really had gotten the shitty end of the stick.

"Are you kidding?" Ronon laughed. I don't think it, I know it. And he's not the only one…"

"Hey? Know something you're not telling me, big guy?" Vega asked, playfully punching Ronon's shoulder. Ronon smiled. He liked teasing Vega. Similar to Teyla, she had become like a sister to him over these past couple of years. But while Teyla was like a big sister, Vega was more like a little sister.

"Well…" he started, but stopped after a single word, suddenly looking very alert. Vega began to ask what was wrong, but Ronon shushed her. Then, she heard it too. It sounded a little bit like a Wraith Dart, but they could both tell it was different. They stepped into the shadows so as not to be seen, and then they saw where the sound was coming from. A fleet of small ships, definitely not Wraith in design, flying across the sky… and setting down right between them and the Stargate. Ronon squeezed his radio. "Sheppard, Carter, we've got company."

**Ancient Hangar Bay**

The team had managed to locate an Ancient transporter, and in a flash found themselves hundreds of metres underground. They stepped out of the transporter, which was surprising large compared to those in Atlantis, and were met with an Ancient door like those back in the city. The lights came on as soon as the team were detected, just as had happened in the outpost above. The door was directly opposite the transporter, and there was nothing more than a wall on the right, but when the team looked left they saw a corridor which stretched as far as the eye could see. "Well, looks like this is the place…" Jeannie said, cautiously.

"Oh, thanks a lot Sherlock, and for your next party trick?" Her brother chimed in once again in his almost trademark sarcastic manner, earning him a smack from both Jeannie and Sam who were either side of him.

"Meredith!" Jeannie said in a stern voice. Over these past few years Rodney had grown much closer to his little sister and her family when they moved with her to Atlantis, but he still couldn't help himself. The brilliantly minded woman constantly reminded herself that he was like this with _everyone_ and not just her, and that helped her cope with him.

"Come on kids, enough playing around…" Sheppard ran his hand across the crystals at the side of the door, causing it to slide open. "…Time to see what we're all on this little field trip for."

With that, the team walked into the Ancient control room, and looked out through the glass façade into a very dark hanger. They stood for a moment. "There's nothing there! There's nothing…" Radek began saying what was on everyone's minds, but suddenly he stopped, and began gawping as Sheppard ran his hands across the Ancient control panels causing the hangar to illuminate… revealing the pristine Aurora class ship sitting there, untouched for thousands of years.

The team cheered, there had been a nagging part of them that felt that the ship wouldn't be there, but that fear had luckily been put to rest. They were about to get to work when Ronon came on over the radio. The signal was weak, Sheppard putting it down to the depth they were currently at, but he could just make his friends words out… They had company.

**Colonial Raptor**

The hatch of the first Colonial Raptor opened, filling the small ship with real oxygen. Admiral Adama was the first person to step out and onto the ground, taking those first few steps for his entire people. He looked out over the lush green forests and the tall, imposing mountain standing above him. The sky was an amazingly deep blue dotted with light, fluffy clouds. A tear welled up in the corner of his eye. He was a strong man, but this sight made him want to fall to his knees and thank the gods for what they had stumbled across. "We've made it…" he said, quietly.

"You're damn right we have" Kara said from behind him, a massive smile on her face. She jumped down off the raptor and placed her hands on her hips, taking in the view before her. "Just like Earth was…"

"Is this Earth?" asked Adama, as the other Raptors opened and Colonials began piling out.

"No." Kara replied. "Looks just as good though." Adama was inclined to believe her.

"This is amazing." said Lee as he stepped out and stood alongside Kara and his father. "I never thought I'd see something like this again…"

"Oh Lee, you should have a little more faith" Kara laughed, before walking out over the grassy plain. Lee followed, still taking in the sights.

**Ancient Outpost**

"Hmm… They look like they could be Genii, going on the uniforms, but I don't know how the hell they got their hands on those ships…" Ronon took a closer look at the new comers through his binoculars. They were in the open plain and slightly lower down than the entrance to the temple, so at least the team had the high ground. The unexpected guests were in a much wider part of the plain as well, so it was possible that the team could make it back to the forest without taking casualties. But at the same time, they couldn't let these people take the Ancient Outpost, or the ship underneath. They would have to send re-enforcements back through quickly.

"So what we got?" Sheppard asked, coming up beside Ronon, taking out his own binoculars.

"There's dozens of them…" replied Vega, readying her weapon.

"We've taken on more enemies than this before… I'm sure we'll be fine." Sheppard had a slight tone of uncertainty in his voice, and the others picked up on it.

**Colonial Raptor**

As Kara came about half way to the edge of the tree line, she noticed something at the base of the mountain, a reflection of sun in a strange looking structure. She realised straight away what that meant… She casually turned around, and began walking back towards the Colonials. She stopped Lee who had been following her, and hugged him, bringing her mouth close to his ear. She whispered in his ear "There's toasters up there… Watching us." Lee's eyes flicked over, and he caught another flash as the sun reflected off a pair of binoculars.

"I see them." He replied, and they both began walking back to the Raptors. Eventually, Kara broke into a run, trying to make it look like she was just being competitive with Lee. Up above, Sheppard was growing suspicious, and warned the team to get ready to head back to the Gate.

Kara was now within twenty metres of the closest Raptor. "Toasters!" she shouted out a warning to the Colonials at the top of her voice, it echoed across the plain and even the expedition members heard it. Straight away, the Colonials were ready to fight.

**Ancient Outpost**

"Did she just say Toasters?" Sam asked, but no one had time to answer as a bullet from a sniper embedded itself in one of the columns of the outpost, almost clipping Rodney and causing him to become hysterical.

"What the hell did we do!?" he shouted, wondering why these new people would open fire on them for no apparent reason.

"I don't know but we're not sticking around to find out!" Sheppard darted off to the edge of the tree line, gesturing for the team to follow him. McKay and Zelenka raced ahead alongside him, with Teyla, Vega and Ronon in the middle. Sam brought up the back, running alongside Jeannie who hadn't quite got the hang of this part of the job. "Keep running! If we're moving they'll find it a hell of a lot harder to hit us!" Sheppard called out, hoping that his advice proved true on this occasion. He finally reached the tree line, and noticed that the crazy soldiers were running towards them. He got everyone past, and Jeannie and Sam were just about to reach him, when one of the enemy soldiers got in a lucky shot, causing McKay's younger sister to fall to the floor.

Jeannie screamed in agony as the bullet pierced her leg. Sam dragged her to the edge of the tree line as Teyla, Ronon and Vega came running back. Rodney was too far ahead to know what had happened, and ran to the Gate as fast as his legs could carry him, thinking everyone was still behind him and not realising that only Radek was.

"Get her back to the Gate, me and Sheppard will provide cover fire!" Straight after giving the order Sam had her gun pointed at the Colonial soldiers, with John following suit. The others grabbed Jeannie and helped her get out of the line of fire, feeling bad about leaving their friends behind but following Sam's order regardless.

**Tree Line**

Kara Thrace ran towards the enemy Cylons as fast as she fraking could, prepared to fire them as soon as she had a clear shot. Suddenly, a hail of bullets came towards them taking out three of the marines, causing both Starbuck and Apollo to dart for the tree line. Frakers! Starbuck looked at Apollo as they ran, they knew what to do. They would block off the toaster's means of escape, and then make them pay.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Colonial marines sprinted towards the enemies' position, all guns blazing. Sam and John decided it wasn't a good idea to stick around any longer and began running through the forest towards the Gate, but before they could get far enough away the Colonials reached the tree line, one taking aim at Sam and pulling the trigger, shooting her in the back.

"Sam!" Sheppard watched as his friend fell to the ground, and ran back to her, only for Starbuck to jump out in front of him. "Shit…" Starbuck smiled a wry smile, before smacking the man in the head with the butt of her gun. Sheppard was knocked unconscious, seeing nothing other than the very happy look on the blonde woman's face as she hit him.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Atlantis**

Jennifer Keller was called to the Control Room the second the off world team returned from their mission. They had come back much earlier than expected and from what she could determine, they had been attacked. Skirmishes with the Wraith were few and far between now, after the defeats they suffered at the hands of the expedition, the Asurans and Michael they had become reclusive, though recent whisperings indicated that their life sucking friends were rebuilding under a more organized structure and a single supreme commander. The expedition knew that if that was true, then they were in big trouble. As Jennifer ran through the hallways of Atlantis with a team and a stretcher she was worried that their greatest enemy was emerging once again.

As she came into the large room with her team she saw a number of people standing in front of the Gate, crowding around one figure on the floor. As she got closer she saw it was Jeannie Miller, McKay kneeling by her side telling her she would be alright. Jennifer instructed her team to get Jeannie onto the stretcher before taking a closer look at the wound, before turning to look at Jeannie "OK, you're going to be fine but there is a lot of bleeding, we're going to get you straight to the infirmary and get you fixed up as soon as possible."

Jeannie was in a great deal of pain, but she knew she would be OK. "Thanks…Thank you…" while the two women were speaking they didn't realise everyone else had gone quiet. They turned to look and noticed the Gate had deactivated. At first Keller wasn't sure why that was a bad thing considering there were enemy forces on the other side, but after skimming quickly across the group she discovered why… Sam and John hadn't made it back.

**Galactica's Brig**

"You're awake!" Samantha Carter awoke in a small cell, with John Sheppard sitting in the one next to her

"Yeah… what the hell happened?" She asked, confused and holding her head.

"You were shot" Sheppard replied "if you were wearing anything other than that your world gear you'd have been dead by now. When you fell you hit your head, it knocked you out. Are you feeling OK now?"

"I'll be fine… So where the hell are we?" Sam had noticed the guards at the door, seemingly ignoring them but in actual fact taking in every single word that was said between the pair. There had been four, but one had left as she woke up.

Sheppard held up his hands and shrugged his shoulders. "I really don't know. We've never met these guy before. At first I thought they could be Genii or Travellers, but they don't seem to be either. The technology is totally different." As he was talking, Sam noticed the gash above his head. John noticed she was staring. "Oh this? Yeah… you weren't the only one to get knocked out…"

**Adama's Quarters**

Bill Adama sat in his quarters. To one side of him were Starbuck, Apollo and Saul Tigh. To the other, Laura Roslin and Tom Zarek. Directly opposite him stood Tory Foster, a number Two model and a number Six model flanking her. The colonials weren't the only one's interested in their new guests. "So. The man claims ignorance regarding all things Cylon, and says that he is on our side…" Adama started off what he was sure would be a very interesting conversation.

"And you believe him?" Starbuck was the first to offer her thoughts, as usual. "Thos frakers killed one of our men and injured five more. Than isn't a good way to earn trust in my book."

"We fired first." Apollo was quick to reply. "As much as I hate to admit it, we could have been in the wrong. The man could be telling the truth when he said it was only self defence."

"Bull." Tigh was the next to give his opinion. "Cylons deceive, that's what they do. I should know… We haven't come across any other humans since we left the Colonies, and it's possible that Cavil and his toaster buddies have created a bunch of entirely new models in order to get the upper hand."

Tory was quick to counter. "It's possible, but I doubt it. We haven't bumped into the other models since we went through that wormhole last year. They didn't follow us through. They have no idea where we are."

"How could they? _We_ have no idea where we are." Tom Zarek wasted no time in pointing that fact out to the Cylon woman.

"Either way, he wouldn't need these new models to gain the upper hand." Tory shot back. "He already has it, he has dozens of base ships while we're left with the nothing but the one rebel Baseship and the Galactica, which, let's face it, is long past her sell by date."

"Watch your mouth you mother fraker!" Starbuck stepped forward and was close to attacking Tory when the President spoke.

"People this is all very interesting but can we _please_ stick to the gods damn issue? We have two people in the brig, be them human or Cylon, and I would like to hear more about _that_, not the current state of Galactica. Stay on topic, or get out."

The room was quiet for a moment, before Tory spoke again. "If they are Cylons, I doubt they have anything to do with Cavil. Plus, the rest of their group totally disappeared from the planet, we've been completely unable to locate them and neither have your crew, unless I'm mistaken. All we found was some strange circular artefact in the ground, and we don't see how…" the rest of her sentence was cut short as there was a knock at the bulkhead door.

Adama called out giving permission to whoever it was to enter. The door was opened, and one of the guards from the brig stepped inside.

"They're awake… Both of them."

**Atlantis**

General Jack O'Neill sat in the chair that had belonged to three different expedition commander over the past seven years. He impatiently tapped his fingers on the table in front of him, waiting for news to arrive. When Daniel had dialled Earth and informed General Landry that neither Carter or Sheppard had returned from the mission, O'Neill was the first person outside Stargate Command to be informed. Within fifteen minutes of finding out he was standing in front of Earth's Stargate, ready for a trip to the Pegasus Galaxy. Teal'c who had been at the SGC with Master Bra'tac, had been happy to join Jack considering one of the life of one of the most important people in the world to him was at stake.

Not long after, both had found themselves in the Control Room of the Ancient City of Atlantis. Considering it had taken him less than half an hour to get from Washington D.C to a completely different Galaxy, Jack was growing angry with the amount of time he had been sitting in that chair waiting for the information needed to come through to Atlantis. The city had fantastic sensor technology, but without a third ZPM it was still very difficult to get an in-depth scan from the other side of the galaxy.

"Oh for god's sake will those guys hurry up?!" O'Neill's outburst caused his old friend to turn and face him.

"I am sure they are working as fast as they can O'Neill. Samantha Carter and John Sheppard mean a great deal to the people of Atlantis." The reassurance caused Jack to remember that Sam wasn't just important to the SGC anymore, she was important here too. And even though John Sheppard had pissed him off a couple of times, he had to admit that he had grown pretty damn fond of him, and his insistence to do whatever he could to help his team.

Finally, the door to the room opened and Daniel stepped inside. "He's done it."

The three men walked over to McKay who was looking slightly dismayed. "There are dozen's of them…" He said. "That is a damn big fleet of ships."

"Oh, crap." Jack said as he looked at the screen.

"Some of the ships are pretty small… It's possible that not all of them are combat worthy, but we can't tell from this. From what we saw on the planet though, they didn't look _that_ advanced.

"So do we wait for the Daedalus to get here, or can we take the Hyperion out now? I'm not too happy about the prospect of waiting another damn day before getting our people back, every minute counts here." Jack wanted to hear what McKay thought, but either way, he was going out there today.

"I suppose we could just take the Hyperion, but do some recon first, get a proper look at what we're up against?"

"Fine by me."

**Galactica's Brig**

Kara Thrace dismissed the guards at the door before entering the brig. Adama and Roslin hadn't sanctioned what was about to occur, but Zarek and the President had. That was good enough for her.

Samantha Carter and John Sheppard stood up as soon as the blonde haired woman entered the brig. John remembered her face well. When someone pistol whips you, it's hard to forget. "Hello again!" he said, in a rather sarcastic tone. "So, was it as good for you as it was for me?"

Kara smirked. "Shut up you Cylon son of a bitch or you'll be getting to second base with it." John had to admit, that was a pretty good way to shut him up.

"What do you want from us?" Carter asked, attempting to take a more diplomatic route than her fellow Colonel.

"I want you to lie to me. That way, I get to have a lot of fun making you tell me the truth." Starbuck stuck the key in the lock to Sam's cell and walked in, gun in her other hand. She locked the cage behind her. After making sure the door was secure, she chucked her gun through the bars, always keeping her eyes on the other woman. "Let's get this started. Do you work for Cavil?"

"I don't know who 'Cavil' is." Sam replied.

Kara smiled, she wasn't inclined believe her. "OK. So just who do you toasters work for then?"

"We don't know what you're talking…" before Sam could finish, the blonde woman smacked her across the mouth causing her to fall onto her hands and knees. Kara came up behind her and grabbed her by the hair, bringing her mouth close to her ear, telling her she knew that she was lying.

"Get off her you crazy bitch! She's telling the truth!" John tried to grab Kara through the bars but the two women were too far away from him.

"It's OK John." Sam reassured her friend, knowing exactly what she was doing. It was obvious to Sam that this woman had greatly underestimated her both mentally and physically, and that worked entirely to her own advantage.

"If you aren't a Cylon then tell me where the frak you're from!" Kara shouted in Sam's ear, not caring that she was deafening her.

"I can't give you that information!" Kara was easily angered, both Carter and Sheppard had gathered that. She smirked and took a tighter hold of Sam's hair preparing to smack her face off the hard metal ground, but before she could the other woman brought her arm up full force into her stomach, winding her.

Sam grabbed the keys from Kara's belt but was kicked backwards before she could get out of the way. The other Woman jumped for her, but Sam's fist made contact with her face before she could do anything. "That felt good." Sam got up as quickly as she could and ran for the cell door, but she noticed Kara behind her. Instead of risking the woman retrieving the keys, she chucked them into Sheppard's cell. Straight after, Kara grabbed her, chucking her to the floor.

"You fraking bitch!" Kara was about to kick the other blonde in the ribs before she heard the door open behind her. Admiral Adama and the guards all came in.

"Kara! What the frak do you think you're doing?"

**Hyperion**

Colonel Cameron Mitchell watched as a group of people from Atlantis beamed aboard his ship. He never would have taken this command had SG-1 still been active, but now that they weren't he felt this was the best way to do good in both the Milky Way and Pegasus Galaxies. He regularly got to see all of his ex-team mates this way, so it worked out well for him. Had he taken the other offer presented to him of forming a new SG team, he would have rarely gotten to see Sam, Daniel or Vala, what with them being millions of light-years away in an Ancient City and all…

"Colonel. How's she treating you?" Jack O'Neill asked as he appeared on the bridge.

"Just dandy, General. It's a nice change, I guess." Cameron got up out oh his command chair in order to greet his superior. "So, I take it everyone's ready to go?"

"Sure are. It's going to be me, Teal'c, Ronon, Teyla and McKay." Teal'c bowed his head when his name was mentioned, causing Cam to smile and return the gesture.

He walked slightly closer to Jack "Is McKay up to this? I thought his sister had just been shot?"

"I asked him if wanted to sit this out, but he insisted on coming." Jack reassured Mitchell, he'd wondered the same thing himself when the mission was first decided on. Keller's done everything she can and Jeannie's going to be OK, she's got her family with her. Besides, Sheppard and Carter are two of his closest friends. I think he looks at this like it's his duty."

"Hmm. Sure seems different to the McKay I knew when I first met him." Cam admired that the man had changed for the better. The job had changed him, like it had done with many others.

"Sir, we're ready to go" came the voice of the Major Ross seated at the console near the command chair. With that, Mitchell sat back down, and the group moved to the side of the bridge.

"Let's get this show on the road." With that, a hyperspace window formed in front of the Hyperion, and the ship jumped away, disappearing from its orbit of New Lantea.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Atlantis Infirmary**

"So, how you holding up?" Jennifer Keller walked into her infirmary to find Jeannie Miller awake for the first time since she underwent an operation to have a bullet removed from her leg. Jeannie wasn't only a patient to Keller; she was also a close friend. Since arriving the year before, McKay's younger sister had befriended a lot of people, but she had grown especially close to Jennifer Keller. No matter how much people try to make you feel welcome, you always feel like the outsider in your first year. Jennifer had been through the same thing not long before Jeannie, so she could relate to her right from the beginning.

Jeannie was happy to see her friend, and the woman who had taken the piece of metal out of her leg not long before. "I've been better… At least the pain's gone though; I feel a lot better than I did a couple of hours ago..."

Jen smiled back at her. "Don't worry; you'll be back on your feet soon. It's never nice being shot, but your first time is always the worst. And hey, at least you only got shot in the leg! Try taking it in the chest!" Jeannie chuckled. She knew that her friend had been through a lot since she had came to Atlantis, but she personally hadn't experienced anything like that before, until now.

"Kaleb and Madison were here before. They only left about 15 ago; I think they went to get something to eat. I doubt they'll be long, and I'm sure they'll be thrilled to see that you're awake." The smile on Jeannie Miller's face grew wider. She couldn't wait to see her husband and daughter again. "I could go and find them if you want, tell them your awake."

"That would be nice. Thanks Jen." With that, Keller turned and walked towards the door. "Oh, Jen?" Jeannie's words caused her to stop and turn swiftly, facing her friend once again. "Is everyone else alright?"

The smile on Jennifer's face disappeared.

**Galactica**

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Adama stood facing Kara Thrace, Laura Roslin by his side. "I did not give my permission for you to do that to that woman."

"No sir, you didn't." Kara turned to face Roslin. "But she did. I wouldn't have done it without the permission of you or the President."

A look of shock appeared of Laura Roslin's face. "I sanctioned nothing. Where the hell did you get that idea from?"

Kara stood silent for a moment, before speaking again "Zarek told me that you and the Quorum had…" Roslin quickly cut her off.

"You actually took the word of Tom Zarek before consulting me?" The President trusted Starbuck, and this felt like a punch in the gut to her. "What if they aren't Cylons, Kara? We don't have any actual proof to say they are lying?"

Kara stood silent, looking at the ground, before Admiral Adama spoke. "Find me Tom Zarek, and bring him here right now."

"Yes Sir."

**Atlantis**

Daniel Jackson was more anxious than he had been since the Ori were around. It wouldn't have been so bad if he had gone with the Hyperion to find his friends, but Sam had left him in charge and this is where she would have wanted him. As much as he loved being on Atlantis, his friends were much more important to him.

Vala Maldoran walked into the room and sat down beside him. She had travelled with Daniel to Atlantis when he had first arrived in 2009 to do his research, after SG-1 disbanded for the second time. He had believed in her even when she hadn't believed in herself, and she didn't think there was anyone she would rather be with than him.

Even though she shared a special bond with Daniel, the rest of the team had also grown very close to her, and since coming to Atlantis she had also become close to John Sheppard and his team. With both Sam and John captured, she felt like a part of her was missing. It wasn't the first time situations like this had happened, but there was always that little voice in the back of her head, wondering whether or not she would see them again.

Neither Daniel nor Vala spoke. They didn't have to.

**Galactica**

Adama was angry, but Laura Roslin was absolutely furious. "Who the hell do you think you are giving out orders like that?"

"You had no right, Zarek. With decisions like that, either me or the President need to be consulted, preferably both. No matter what you think, you do not have the power to do it yourself"

Tom Zarek stood with a smile on his face, angering the Admiral and the president further. "Oh, I consulted the Quorum first, believe me."

"The Quorum is not the be all and end all of Colonial politics and you know that!" Laura shot back.

"No, but when they agree unanimously on an issue then it is my duty to ensure their wishes are carried out, I knew you would never have approved madam President."

"Yes and there is a reason for that! As far as we are aware there is only one more model of Cylon to be discovered and unless I am mistaken there are _two_ people being held in that brig, neither of them known to be Cylon models. We have no evidence to say they are Cylons, let alone anything concrete!"

Tom enjoyed making Laura angry. There was a time when he thought they could actually work together and be friends, but even he was willing to admit that his thirst for power had destroyed any chance of that. "None of this matters. They killed one of our people and wounded others, that isn't acceptable from anyone, be them robots or otherwise."

"Yes but we shot first, Zarek…" all of a sudden, Laura's face changed, her lips curled into a slight smile. "Or did you forget to mention that little fact to the Quorum when you were trying to convince them to bay for the blood of those prisoners?" Zarek didn't reply. "Oh yes… It's making a lot sense now."

Tom finally spoke. "Madam President, this fleet has been in grave danger ever since we left the 12 Colonies and yes even since we travelled through that wormhole, whether you admit it or not the threat of attack has always been looming over us."

Adama spoke for the first time since the conversation had first started. "We haven't seen a single Cylon since we came through; there is nothing to say that they would just start attacking again now. I am going to speak to the prisoners myself; I personally want to hear them out. You're both welcome to join me, and I think you, Mr. Zarek, owe them an explanation."

"I owe them nothing."

Laura was quick to counter. "Then get the hell out. You may not think you owe them anything, but you definitely owe the Quorum the truth about what happened on that planet down there. Lie to them again, or lie to _me_ again, and believe me when I say that I will find out." With that, Zarek turned to leave, before Laura stopped him once again. "And Zarek… This is _far_ from over."

**Hyperion**

The BC-304 Hyperion dropped out of hyperspace behind one of the three moons of M1K-773. Cameron Mitchell hoped that would be enough to avoid detection from the large enemy fleet in orbit. Each of Earth's ships now contained at least one Puddle Jumper, the Atlantis expedition found that it occasionally put a bit of a strain on their own operations, but with scientists on Earth working on creating a human version they would soon be fully stocked once again. At times like this, having a Puddle Jumper onboard that could cloak came in very handy, and Cameron knew it. Scientists were still unable to work out how to cloak a BC-304 without using a ZPM, so this was a good alternative for recon missions.

"Are you guys all set to go?" Cameron asked as he walked into one of the Hyperion's hanger bays with Teal'c by his side.

"We sure are." McKay was the first to reply. "Just so I know, if we run into trouble will you…"

"Come save your asses?" Cam answered the question before Rodney had a chance to. "Yeah, I don't see why not." Cam smirked and then turned to O'Neill. "If you two need anything, get straight on the line and we'll jump straight in there."

The General placed his hand on Cameron's shoulder. "I don't doubt it for a second." He turned to Rodney. "Right. Let's get our people back."

**Puddle Jumper**

Soon after, the Jumper had left the Hyperion and was heading out to the planet, and the fleet of ships above it. "OK, cloak the ship." O'Neill ordered as he looked out of the large front window, staring at the curvature of the large moon.

"Oh believe me I am more than happy to." McKay answered as he made the small vessel disappear. O'Neill had wanted to pilot the Jumper at first but he knew that even if McKay wasn't as good at flying, he was much better at making sense of all the information that the ship's interface provided.

Both men watched the curvature of the moon until the planet came into view, and then a fleet of ships bigger than either of them had seen in a long time. Rodney took the Jumper out of its orbit and off towards the other vessels. "Scanning the ships… Right, I'm starting to get some information through."

"So, what are we up against?" O'Neill asked, interested in knowing the capability of this new race.

"Hmm… I'm quite surprised actually, I wasn't expecting this…"

O'Neill turned to the scientist. "What?"

"Well, it seems the majority of the ships aren't actually capable of combat. There are a few, but it seems only two of them are actually built to fight." McKay concentrated as he received more information.

"Thank god for that." O'Neill replied.

McKay watched the fleet as information regarding each ship was gathered by the Jumper's incredibly advanced technology. "Both of the capital ships are damaged, and neither appears to have shield technology. They seem to use extremely thick armour, but it looks like a lot of it has come away, on one of the ships at least. The two ships are of totally different design… In fact, I'm not even sure if the other ship was made by the same race as the others."

Jack was pleased. "Nice job McKay." He looked out over the ships as the Jumper flew in between them, taking a good look at the designs. Some of them didn't even have any windows, obviously down to the fact that the hulls were so thick.

He didn't think he would want to spend any length of time on one of those, and then thought about how Sam and John must be feeling. "Take us back to the Hyperion. I think I've made my decision."

**Galactica's Brig**

Admiral Adama, Laura Roslin and Apollo entered the brig, hoping that they would be leaving it with a much better sense of what was going on. John Sheppard and Samantha Carter stood as soon as they saw the figures coming into the room. "If any of you think you're getting in that damn cage with her again you've got another thing coming." John said as the three walked closer.

"I apologise for what happened before." The woman spoke, hoping to diffuse the man's anger slightly. "Kara Thrace had been told to do what she did to you by my vice president, and had been falsely told that I myself had sanctioned those actions. Believe me, I had not." She turned to Sam. "I'm sorry for what happened, and so is Kara. She wanted to come and tell you in person but I didn't think that was such a good idea just yet. I thoroughly intend to make sure that the Vice President pays for what he has done."

John wasn't satisfied. "Why should we believe you? For all we know this is going to be another interrogation. We're not stupid, you don't have to use violence or threats to get information out of someone, and when the information you're trying to get doesn't even exist then…" Sam stopped him before he could finish.

"John, it's alright. I think they're telling the truth." Sam had been in situations like this countless times, and she had learned to recognise whether someone was lying or not. This woman was either sincere or a fantastic liar. Judging by the way she was acting, Sam was inclined to believe the former.

The older of the two men spoke next. "We are. And we also apologize for shooting first, in hindsight we realise that was probably the worst move we could have made. However, after what we've been through, we didn't have much choice." Carter was intrigued. However, she didn't want to turn the questions around to these new people just yet. Hopefully there would be time to find out more later.

The younger man was the next to speak. "You'll understand that we do need to paint a picture here. We need to know who you are. If we hear you're story, we'll be a lot more inclined to believe you. We're not here to force anything out of you. We're here to ask you."

Sam and John both looked at each other, before Sam turned back to the three people in front of her and spoke. "I am Colonel Samantha Carter, and this is Colonel John Sheppard. We are from a planet known as M35-117, or New Lantea." She wasn't prepared to give up the fact that they were from Atlantis, or more importantly Earth. Not yet anyway. "We were on that planet doing research on the outpost that you no doubt noticed, in the base of the mountain."

Roslin smiled. "Thank you. That's a good start. I am President Roslin, and this is Admiral William Adama and his son, Lee Adama. The ship you are aboard is known as the Battlestar Galactica. We were wondering, how did the rest of your people escape the planet?"

Sam and John both shared another look. "Did you not see the Planet's Stargate?" Asked John, wondering how they could have missed something so obvious.

The President looked confused. "What's a Stargate?"

Sam was amazed that they didn't know what a Stargate was, but before she could answer an alarm began blaring and the phone on the brig's wall rang. "If you'll excuse me." Adama walked over to the wall and picked up the phone, he was silent for a moment before speaking. "What do you mean it isn't a Baseship?"


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Colonial Fleet**

The Colonial civilians that were lucky enough to have access to windows looked out, some in awe and some in horror, as a large green anomaly appeared in the centre of the fleet. Their faces dropped as a ship came out of the weird, yet beautiful 'cloud'. The ship travelled between ships until it came face to face with the Galactica. Children looked on wanting to see the outcome of this strange meeting, before their own ships disappeared in a flash of bright light.

**Hyperion**

"Shields up, bring beam weapons online! I don't want us being caught off guard!" Mitchell barked out orders to his crew as the Earth ship dropped out of hyperspace. Out of the forward window they saw the capital ship straight ahead.

Major Ross spoke up as he noticed something strange on his console. "Sir, the ships are disappearing. They aren't jumping to hyperspace or cloaking, they're just… vanishing." He looked at his commanding officer to see him staring out the window, along with the General and everyone else.

"Yes… We can see that Major." Cam had never seen technology like this before, only about half a minute after they had appeared, the fleet had begun to disappear.

"Get us over to the bigger ship over there and hail them." O'Neill pointed at the Galactica. "If Sam and John are still in this fleet, my money is on them being in there."

**Galactica's CIC**

Admiral Adama walked into his CIC with Laura, Lee, Carter and Sheppard behind him, three guards at the back ensuring that the two unknowns did not escape. Tigh looked over to his old friend as he entered. "Good to have you here Admiral, but what the frak are those prisoners doing up here?"

Adama stood in his usual position next to the command table. "You said that ship wasn't a Baseship." He looked over at Sam and John. "Well I think their friends may have come looking for them."

Sam had noticed Kara looking at her out the corner of her eye, but didn't return the look. "That's correct, we believe it may be one of our ships. We have the ability to track ships in the Galaxy, so it was only a matter of time before they got here."

"Is the fleet jumping away?" Adama asked, concerned about the welfare of his people first and foremost.

Lieutenant Dualla answered quickly. "Yes sir. They're nearly gone, the Baseship is preparing to jump too."

"Good." Adama said. "I want them all out of here."

Felix Gaeta was the next to speak. "That's the last of them sir. Our FTL drive is spooled up and ready to go."

"Don't jump." The room went silent at the Admiral's order. "I want to see how this plays out."

The room remained silent, until Dualla spoke up once again. "Uh… Admiral, they're trying to communicate with us."

Admiral Adama nodded and picked up the wired phone near his side, Dualla patching the other ship through.

**Hyperion**

Teal'c walked onto the bridge of the Hyperion, followed by Ronon and Teyla. "General O'Neill, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan and I are prepared to beam aboard that ship if needed."

"Nice to know we have that option." O'Neill replied with a smile.

"Sir, the ship is responding to hails."

"Thank you Major Ross, put them through." Replied Cameron. "This should be interesting…"

The voice of an older but authoritative man was heard on the bridge of ship. "This is Admiral William Adama of the Colonial Fleet. Who is this?"

Cameron glanced at the General, who gave him a nod. "This is Colonel Cameron Mitchell of the Hyperion. I believe you have two of our people onboard."

**Galactica's CIC**

The room watched intently as Admiral Adama spoke to the other ship. "If you are referring to Colonels Samantha Carter and John Sheppard then, yes, we do."

Adama awaited the reply of the other man. "Will you be prepared to hand them other peacefully, are do we have to take them back ourselves?"

"That depends. If we do give your people back do you give your word that you will not harm anyone in this fleet?" Adama was once again left waiting for a reply. Before he could get one however, both Carter and Sheppard both disappeared in an amazing flash of light. "What the frak?"

**Hyperion**

Samantha Carter and John Sheppard materialised on board the bridge of the Hyperion. Teyla and Ronon hugged Sheppard while Teal'c and O'Neill did the same to Sam. McKay wasn't quite sure who to go to first.

"What took you so long?" Asked Sam as her friends embraced her.

"We wanted to see what these Colonials were like first. Did they treat you OK?" O'Neill asked.

The three separated as Sam answered. "Fine."

"Yeah, well your face tells a different story." There was no hiding the marks from Sam's scuffle with Kara.

"That was a misunderstanding, I'm interested in what these people have to say and I don't want that to ruin it. Anyway, it's my Galaxy." Sam smirked at her old friend.

**Galactica's CIC**

Onboard Galactica, Admiral Adama had heard the whole conversation. He admired what Sam had said, but did not admire the way in which Colonel Mitchell and this General O'Neill had displayed their advanced technology and used it as a way to determine whether or not to trust the Colonials.

Suddenly, Jack began speaking again. "Adama, this is General Jack O'Neill. I came here with every intention of blowing you out of the sky for what you did to my people, but luckily for you Carters changed my mind. We will be willing to speak to you, perhaps at a neutral location, but this bit's up to you. You can either jump away and join up with your fleet again, or you can stay and we can try and make this work."

Adama did not speak for what felt like minutes to both parties involved, but was probably only seconds. Eventually, he spoke. "Gaeta, Jump the ship."

With that, the Galactica disappeared in a flash of light and left the Hyperion sitting in space, alone. Onboard the Hyperion, the crew on the bridge was quiet, until Jack broke the silence. "Oh well. Their loss."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Adama's Quarters**

"Why did you do it, Bill?" Roslin was disappointed. These people were obviously advanced and they must have had access to multiple resources.

"I don't know whether or not to trust these people, and I'm not willing to risk this fleet on a possibility. You saw what they were capable of Laura. Hell, we're still combing the fleet to make sure they didn't take anyone else away when they first appeared.

"That woman, Colonel Carter, she put her trust in us, even after the incident with Kara. I really don't think she was lying." She sat down beside the Admiral. "When Zarek finds out that we ran at the chance of a possible alliance he's going to milk it for all it's worth. We won't be able to make him pay for what we did if he gets the support of the entire fleet behind him. He twists things, and he'll be able to twist the incident with Kara and Colonel Carter too."

Adama sighed. Ever since he had given the order to jump away, the possibilities of what could have been were playing on his mind. It was too late now though. It was doubtful that they would ever bump into them accidentally again, and after what had happened he doubted that these people were in a rush to find them again.

**Atlantis**

When Samantha Carter beamed back down to Stargate Operations in Atlantis she was met straight away by Daniel Jackson and Vala Maldoran, who both hugged her as the others had done. "Good to have you back, Sam."

"It's good to be back, Daniel." She smiled at her old friend, but his face changed when he got a proper look at her.

"What happened to you?" He asked, looking concerned.

"Ah, nothing. You and I both know that I've been through much worse!" Daniel decided to leave it at that and embraced his friend once more, before moving on to shake Sheppard's hand and welcome him back to his home of seven years.

"Are you sure you're OK?" Asked Vala as Sam turned to her.

"I'm fine. I'm more disappointed than anything. I actually wish we'd gotten to know those people more… Hey, maybe we'll see them again."

Vala put her arm around her friend's shoulder and they began walking to the mess hall. "You never know."

**Atlantis Infirmary**

As soon as he returned from the mission on the Hyperion, Rodney McKay headed straight for the infirmary. He desperately wanted to see his younger sister to make sure she was feeling better. However, as he approached the door, he noticed Kaleb sitting by her side, with Madison on the bed with her. The whole family together, smiling and having fun. Rodney smiled, before taking one last look, and then turning around, walking back off to Stargate Operations.

**Battlestar Galactica**

"Fellow Colonials, this is a sad day in our history, one not seen since New Caprica. We have lost the opportunity to forge a relationship with an advanced race." Tom Zarek addressed the room full of news reporters and Colonial representatives. "However, we cannot allow the blame to fall solely on Admiral Adama's shoulders. I too must take part of the blame."

Adama stood in the corner of the room with the President, both of them seething in anger. If Zarek hadn't managed to build up his popularity so much over the past few years and hadn't managed to secure almost unanimous backing from the fleet, then Roslin would have been happy to flush him out an airlock.

"I sanctioned an interrogation of the prisoners we had captured, which caused the leader of these people to be… slightly less willing to cooperate than they would have been, even though they still had the decency to extend us an olive branch."

Tom had a good way of twisting an insult against someone and make it sound like he was being sympathetic to the person, and Adama knew it.

"I did what any other sane person would have done, however I still take part of the responsibility. Now, we must strive forward and continue our search for resources. It has been decided that we will not yet return to the planet we discovered, but it is a possibility in the near future."

**Atlantis**

Rodney McKay cam running up to Sam as she and Vala left the mess hall. "Colonel Carter, you might want to see this."

The two women hurriedly followed McKay back towards the control room. "What's happened Rodney?" Sam asked concerned.

"It's the Colonials…" he replied, also looking concerned. "I've just detected six Wraith Hive ships heading towards them on the long range sensors."

**Daedalus**

Steven Caldwell had been in command of the Daedalus for over five years now; it didn't just feel like his ship, it felt like his home.

His ship was still one of the ships that travelled to the Pegasus Galaxy, along with the Hyperion and the Phoenix. The Apollo sadly no longer made the trip following its destruction, in which his friend, Colonel Abe Ellis, had perished.

The ship had only dropped out of hyperspace a few moments before Colonel Carter was on the line. "Steven, good to see you back in Pegasus."

"Good to be here Sam. How's things?"

Sam frowned as she stood in Stargate operations, surrounded by expedition members. "Not good. It seems the Wraith have decided now's the time to take a more active role in the Galaxy again, and we've detected six Hive Ships heading towards the Colonial fleet."

Caldwell grimaced. "What can we do?"

"The Hyperion left about 20 minutes ago carrying the General and some members of the expedition, as well as the General and Daniel. I need you to beam me, Rodney and Sheppard up to your ship so we can join them."

"You got it Sam."

"And Steven, that's not all. We're detecting a massive number of Hive Ships coming online in the far corner of the Galaxy. I've already asked General Landry to send re-enforcements; both the Odyssey and the Phoenix are on their way, and an Asgard ship is due in a day or two. Usually I wouldn't ask to leave Earth without a ship, but this is big… Plus, the Dauntless was meant to be coming online in the next few weeks; they're going to push to get it going by Tuesday instead."

Caldwell was settled somewhat by the fact that they would have 5 ships to combat the Wraith as opposed to just two. "OK. Is Earth sending more marines to Atlantis?"

"Yes, there should be a few thousand coming through. Not all of them will be assigned to Atlantis, we're sending some to the Alpha Site and others to our allies, but it should hopefully help."

"Right, that sounds good. Are you guys ready?"

"Ready as we'll ever be." With that, Carter, Sheppard and McKay disappeared from the control room.

**SGC**

General Hank Landry was out of practice. It had been a long time since there had been any major threat, and Earth's forces had not been needed in this capacity since the height of the Ori invasion. He stood and watched from the briefing room as teams of marines left through the Stargate. The ZPM had been brought from the outpost in Antarctica so that Atlantis could be reached more easily, otherwise the process would have taken longer than it needed to. When you were in this sort of situation, every second was important.

"Hank. Good to see you again." The General turned around to see the face of an old friend, someone who he hadn't seen for over a year.

"George, good to be seen. Have a seat." The two men pulled out chairs from either side of the large table in the centre of the room and sat opposite each other.

"I just wish this visit had been under different circumstances." Hammond frowned, this was the first time he had been to the SGC since his visit in 2008 and he had hoped then that the next time he came the situation would be similar, calm and without a looming threat. "The IOA are pressing to get the Dauntless up and running as fast as possible. They've been willing to compromise and accept a temporary USAF crew, and for now they've put the plans for a fully international crew on the backburner. No one was expecting this, a ship hasn't been pressed into service early since the Korolev, and we all know how that one turned out."

Hank grimaced. "Indeed. I'd rather avoid a repeat of that, especially considering the X-305 is going to be Earth's flagship. If our enemies are moving against us again then we can't afford to lose it."

"Exactly… What's the situation with Pegasus? The Colonials and their fleet?"

"We're sending the last of the marines through to Atlantis, and the Hyperion and Daedalus are already on route to the Colonials position. Colonel Morgan and Colonel Lorne have been instructed to get their ships straight to Atlantis. We're hoping to head back to M1K-773 soon after." Hank had faith in the abilities of Earth's fleet even though it was small, and he trusted that it could defend Atlantis. However, he knew there were potential problems closer to home. "I'm sure your aware George that the Alex Morgan came across a strange alien fleet on the Odyssey's last assignment before being called to Atlantis. Well we tracked that fleet, and let's just say that we aren't too thrilled about what we found…"

Hammond didn't need to hear this. If there was a direct threat to Earth, then one or more of the ships would have to be called back from Pegasus and that could still leave both sides spread pretty thin. Hank continued after a brief pause. "They joined up with a considerably larger fleet. At this point there's nothing to say that they have any interest in Earth, but its best that we don't let our guard down. The defence grids online and we're sending the ZPM back to Antarctica soon, and hopefully if we can get the Dauntless up and running we'll be adequately defended. Right now, it's a case of wait and see."

Hammond sat for a second to allow the new information to sink in. "Alright. Keep me updated. But right now, I think we could both do with a drink…"

**Hyperion**

"They say we may have to beam over to help the Colonials if the Wraith manage to board them." Ronon Dex walked in to the mess hall of the Hyperion to see Teyla Emmagan alone, looking out the window at the hyperspace tunnel that the ship was travelling through. "Apparently General O'Neill wants to go over there anyway, and I'll be damned if I just let him and Tea'lc go themselves."

Teyla continued to stare out the window. "I wouldn't expect any less."

Ronon walked over to her table and sat next to her. "What are you thinking about?"

"Everything" Replied Teyla. "My son has not known an all out Wraith attack; he hasn't known a Galaxy where they are dominant. I was hoping to keep it that way."

Ronon placed an arm around his friend. "We can still keep it that way. We fight now so he doesn't have to fight tomorrow." Teyla smiled, and the two warriors sat there together, both watching the amazing blues stream past the window in front of them. The pair sat for a few minutes before a fellow warrior entered the room.

"Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex." Tea'lc bowed his head respectfully as he entered in what had become his trademark gesture. "We will be arriving at the Colonials position within twenty minutes, the Daedalus is apparently not far behind. General O'Neill would like us all on the bridge; he is formulating a battle plan."

Teyla and Ronon both stood up. "Good." Ronon said as he walked towards the door. "This should be fun."

**Battlestar Galactica**

Caprica Six held her child in her arms, shushing her to sleep as they waited for her partner to return. Ever since Ellen had been born Caprica had changed. She had not wanted to hurt any of the Colonials in a long time, but once Ellen came along she had decided that she would remain with them for the rest of her life. Ellen had been named after the ex-wife of her father. Caprica had actually been the one to suggest the name, and Saul had gone with it straight away, surprised at the gesture the mother of his child had made.

That was then. He hadn't seen Ellen in months. After the revelation regarding four of the final five Cylons, it had taken people a while to accept him again and he had hit the bottle harder than ever. Caprica had eventually decided that he wasn't fit to see Ellen, and he had happily agreed.

The door opened and Gaius Baltar walked into the room, his lips curling into a smile when he saw Caprica and Ellen. He was working full time again, Roslin had forgiven him on the Basestar a couple of years ago when the four were first revealed, and kept the secret that she'd learned to herself. As she sat next to Baltar trying to save him from death she realised that he was just a man, granted a man who had made some big mistakes but then everyone one makes mistakes, no matter how big or small. After that the animosity towards him slowly began to die down until the day eventually came when he was able to walk to the lab without a security escort.

Since that day Gaius had been working as hard as possible to try and right the wrongs he had caused, in any way possible. He wanted to give something back to the Colonial Remnant after he had taken so much away, and that meant extremely long hours and barely any rest when you took his new family into account as well. Much like Athena, Caprica earned her place among the Colonials, she had done good deeds and helped them negotiate a treaty with the Cylon rebels, and now she called herself a Colonial.

**Galactica's CIC**

The decision Admiral Adama had made the day before still played heavily on his mind, and he was sure it would for the rest of his days. More and more he felt like he had chucked away the Colonials best chance at surviving, and now he wasn't even sure why he had done it. He stood in the CIC wondering what could have happened as people rushed around going about there jobs as if nothing had. His people were loyal, that was for sure. They stuck by any decision he made, this one was no different. They had a lot of respect for him, but he had even more for them.

"Sir, we just picked up a ship on DRADIS!" Adama was brought back to the present by the voice of Felix Gaeta.

Straight away Adama was back to normal and ready to lead his people. "Get the fleet ready to jump. Is it the Cylons?"

"No sir…" Gaeta replied. "It's General O'Neill's ship."

A wave of relief ad curiosity washed over Adama, for a number of reasons. "I want to speak to that ship."

**Hyperion**

General O'Neill watched the Colonial Fleet, expecting them to disappear but this time feeling slightly dismayed when they didn't.

"Admiral Adama's on the line sir."

O'Neill looked over to Major Ross. "Put him through."

Within seconds Adama's voice was heard on the bridge of the Hyperion. "This is Admiral Adama. You'd be surprised how good it is to see you again. Why have you returned?"

O'Neill answered quickly, wasting no time. "Admiral, there is a fleet of enemy ships on their way as we speak. I suggest you get your fleet out of here before they arrive and we'll take care of them. You're more than welcome to stay and help if you want, but they'll be here any minute now."

It was an understatement to say that Adama was shocked by O'Neill's words. "General, why should we believe…"

"If you don't believe then your fleet will be destroyed. These… things that are coming. They don't negotiate. They'll destroy your ship and take the rest of your fleet. Just get your people out of here, as I said you're more than welcome to stay if you want to." O'Neill waited for a response.

Adama stood in the CIC with the eyes of his people watching intently, it took him only a few seconds to make his decision. "Jump the fleet. We're staying. And get the President up here right now."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Hyperion**

The people on the bridge of the Hyperion watched as the Colonial fleet disappeared, one ship at a time. The technology was unlike any known to Earth or Atlantis, and could prove useful in the future if a deal was struck with the Colonials.

Admiral Adama's voice once again filled the room. "General, it's done. The fleet's gone. So, are you going to tell me what we're up against?"

Jack was about to reply when he saw a hyperspace window forming outside in space. The only thought running through his mind at that point was a hope that this was the Daedalus…

**Galactica's CIC**

Felix Gaeta looked on in shock as the information came through. "Sir… we're picking up six new ships on DRADIS… The General's ship is moving to intercept. Those ships… They're huge sir."

Adama became incredibly anxious. He prayed to god the Hyperion was up to the challenge. "I want us battle ready now. Bring the nukes online and target those new ships. Launch all Vipers."

"Admiral, what the hells going on?" Laura Roslin walked into Galactica's CIC, desperate to know what was happening after being interrupted from yet another treatment.

"We're fighting again madam President."

**Hyperion**

"Beam weapons online, target the closest Hive and take it out! Launch all F-302s to intercept those Darts!" Cameron Mitchell shouted out orders on the bridge of his ship as they neared the Wraith fleet. "Don't let them take out the Galactica!"

"Sir, the Galactica is launching it's own fighters and brining it's nukes online, but the Wraith are ignoring them for now."

"Thanks Major, good to know." Cameron said as he watched the beam weapons take out the first Hive, before moving onto one of the cruisers that had accompanied the enemy fleet."

"Shields down to seventy-five percent!"

Crew members ran around the bridge doing there jobs to the best of their ability as the ship was rocked by the sheer amount of weapons fire that was being taken by the ship. "Sir, the Wraith Hives are launching some new type of ship… there's dozens sir, all heading for the Galactica!"

Cameron could see this from the window at the front of the bridge; he didn't know what the hell they were. "Fire missiles, take them out!"

Outside, the 16 F-302s carried by the Hyperion shot towards the swarm of darts while a number of missiles from the ship behind them impacted with the new Wraith ships just before they could reach Galactica. The Vipers approached the swarm from the other side and began slicing the organic fighters with their forward cannons and missiles.

"Colonel, we took out all of the unknown ships, but detected some strange readings coming from them before we did. Shields at 47."

"OK Major, good work. Target the next Hive."

**Galactica's CIC**

"Sir, the Hyperion managed to destroy those ships before they could reach us; they've taken out two of the smaller cruisers and one of the capital ships." Felix fed the information through to the Admiral as soon as he got it.

"Good, lets see if we can give them a little more help. Target one of the big ships and launch nukes."

"Yes sir."

With that order, the Galactic launched all of the nukes it had left, but before they could reach their target many were intercepted by enemy fighters. Three warheads managed to get past the wall, obliterating another one of the Hive ships.

**Hyperion**

Major Ross looked worried as he looked at the console in front of him. "Shields down to 16 sir, we've lost beam weapons. We can't take much more of this!"

Cameron turned from the brilliant flash of light in front of him as another Hive was destroyed. "I agree, tell the Galactica to prepare to leave and recall our fighter…" Before the Colonel could finish, another hyperspace window opened and the Daedalus came into the fray.

"Colonel Mitchell this is Colonel Caldwell, I have Colonel's Carter and Sheppard here with me."

Mitchell relaxed into his chair. "Thank god. It's good to see you, but what the hell took you so long?"

Onboard the Daedalus Caldwell, Carter and Sheppard smirked as Mitchell expressed his gratitude in his own way. "Don't worry Cam, we're here now and ready to save your ass." Sam's words almost made Steven laugh but he decided to show a bit more restraint.

"Launch F-302s and target the Hive ships with the beam weapons, target the others with nukes and missiles. Bring the rail guns online and lets do some damage to those cruisers."

The team on the bridge of the Hyperion watched as the Daedalus came into the battle, all guns blazing and taking out another one of the Hives as well as damaging another, the rail guns and missiles causing a considerable amount of carnage while the blue beam weapons streaked across space and tore the Wraith ships apart. F-302s and Vipers battled the Wraith darts together, their teamwork allowing them to keep the kill rate high and their losses low.

**Galactica's CIC**

Laura looked on as the CIC buzzed with activity, so far the Galactica hadn't taken any hits which was good considering the armour was virtually non-existent. She stood in the loud, busy room thinking only of what was going on outside.

"Admiral, another ship just jumped into the battle!" Gaeta called out to both the Admiral and the room.

"What?"

"It's attacking the enemy fleet sir, and launching fighters." A smile grew on both Adama and Roslin's faces at the good news. "It's just taken out two more of the capital ships!"

Before the CIC could begin celebrating a marine ran into the large room. "Sir… We have a big problem."

**Daedalus**

The new nuclear missiles from both the Daedalus and the Hyperion swerved and dodged Wraith Darts as they travelled towards the hull of their target Hive. A number got through, detonating on impact and destroying the massive ship in a flash of white light.

"It's a hit! The Hive's gone sir, one left. The Hyperion shields are almost down, ours are at 80." Major Marks worked away at his console while he gave Colonel Caldwell an update.

"Put us between the Hyperion and the last Hive, their stuck with rail guns so lets give them a hand." Earth's original BC-304 flew into the line of fire sparing the shields of its sister ship and giving the Wraith Hive everything it had.

**Hyperion**

"The Daedalus has taken out the last Hive Ship sir. And we're receiving a transmission from the Galactica." Mitchell breathed a sigh of relief and watched as the Daedalus focussed its efforts on the cruisers.

"Thanks Major, put it through."

The crew waited until Admiral Adama began speaking. "Hyperion this is Galactica. We have a problem over here, I don't know how but their soldiers managed to board our ship."

A look of shock washed over the faces of those on the bridge. General O'Neill took over from Mitchell. "Admiral, may we have permission to transport a team over to the Galactica to help?"

"Be my guest."

O'Neill turned to the three figures at the back of the bridge. "Tea'lc, Teyla, Ronon… You're with me."

**Galactica's CIC**

In a flash of light, O'Neill and his band of warriors beamed onto the bridge of the Battlestar Galactica, appearing opposite Adama and Roslin. Straight away O'Neill walked up to Admiral Adama, only to find Colonial weapons pointed at him, causing the three who came with him to draw their own weapons. He extended his hand to Adama, and after some hesitation the Admiral took. "There. That wasn't so bad. Now, where are the Wraith?"

**Daedalus**

"Sir, we just picked up a transmission between the Hyperion and the Galactica… The Galactica has been boarded by Wraith soldiers."

"What?" Carter turned, staring out at the Battlestar and imagining what their soldiers must have been going through.

Caldwell turned to Major Ross. "How the hell did that happen?"

"We're receiving information from the Hyperion…" the Major paused for a moment as he looked over the information. "Colonel Mitchell says that the General beamed over to the Galactica with Tea'lc, Teyla and Ronon."

Sheppard smiled and spoke up for the first time in a while. "Well, that's that problem sorted. I certainly wouldn't want to be up against that team."

Carter agreed. "Steven, can you beam me, Sheppard and McKay over to the Hyperion? Once it's safe to go, I'm taking a team to the Galactica."

**Battlestar Galactica**

Tea'lc, Teyla and Apollo formed team 1 while Ronon, Starbuck and Athena formed team 2. The Colonials knew the ship well where as Ronon and Teyla knew the Wraith well, as did Teal'c to a lesser extent. Because of their mixed experience, they made for strong groups.

Each one of them walked through the corridors of the colonial ship not knowing what to expect. Tea'lc, Teyla and Ronon had never encountered these people before, where as Starbuck, Apollo and Athena had never laid eyes on a Wraith. The only real enemy they had known was the Cylons, and they had come to believe that they were the only threat out there.

Team 1 strode through the corridors of the ship, Apollo and Teyla checking every room as they walked with Tea'lc constantly looking to make sure there were no enemies in front or behind. They had been searching for about ten minutes but hadn't yet encountered any enemies. They were just about to come around a corner when a bolt of blue energy came flying past them, hitting the wall to their side and dissipating. Straight away the three took aim at the Wraith and began firing; Apollo noted that the soldier took about the same amount of hits as a Centurion before it went down. The creature was big and muscular, it wore a masking covering its entire face and its skin was a rather surprising colour… He'd never seen anything like this before. The team ran out to where the Wraith had been and aimed around another corner noticing a group of the soldiers, before aiming their guns and firing round after round into the enemies.

Meanwhile in another part of the Galactica, a larger group of Wraith led by their commander walked the corridors, stunning everyone they came across. Galactica's marines were shocked by the amount of bullets the aliens could take before they were defeated, and the number of Galactica's men and women falling was considerably higher than that of the enemy. It wasn't until Ronon Dex and his own team found them that they really began taking losses. Ronon shot multiple rounds from his energy weapon as Athena and Starbuck backed him up, showering the enemies with bullets. The commander stood behind his forces so as not to be hit, and it worked. Although his soldiers were being taken out, they had soon stunned one of their adversaries. Red bolts of energy, blue bolts of energy and bullets streaked through the corridor, and one of the Wraith blasts finally hit its target.

"Kara!" Athena cried out as her friend was hit and fell into the line of fire. Athena wanted desperately to leave cover and help her friend, but she was grabbed and pulled back by Ronon.

"She's fine!" He began firing at the Wraith again. There weren't many left now. "She's just stunned! Keep firing!" Athena wasn't sure what to do at first, but she soon found strength and took aim at the ruthless soldiers.

**Galactica's CIC**

"What the hell are those things?" Roslin wanted to know what had managed to board the ship, the Galactica was the fleet's primary line of defence and if these aliens managed to overrun it then it would be the end of the Colonials.

O'Neill looked her dead in the eye. "Believe me, when this is over, I'll fill you in, but right now…"

"No." Roslin wasn't willing to wait, not now. "I want to know what these things are, General. And I want to know how the frak they got on this ship."

**Battlestar Galactica**

"That's the last one." Apollo stood over the large soldier, looking at its mask. He knelt down to get a closer look at it, before moving his hand towards the cover protecting the alien soldier's face.

"I would not do that if I were you." Teyla Emmagan walked up behind the Colonial, watching over his shoulder. "You may not like what you see."

Apollo smirked. "Don't worry; I'm sure I can handle it." He grasped the sides of the mask and gently pulled it away, revealing horrifically disfigured features. The creature had no eyes, and it looked like its nose had been ripped off leaving only two holes in the middle of its face. Lee fell backwards, shocked by what was in front of him. "What… what the hell is that?"

**Galactica's CIC**

"That's impossible. How can something feed on human life-force?" Roslin didn't believe a word the man was telling her, it sounded too farfetched for her liking.

O'Neill was getting tired of explaining. "Listen lady, I've got no reason to lie to you, so you can either

The silence was interrupted by the General's radio "General O'Neill?"

O'Neill pressed the button on the side of the radio and moved his head closer to it. "What is it Teal'c?"

"We have met up with Ronon Dex and the other Colonials; we believe we have eliminated the threat. One of the Colonials was stunned, but she is coming around as we speak."

O'Neill smiled at Adama and Roslin. "Good work Teal'c. You should all get back here as soon as possible." He walked closer to the leaders of this new race. "Pretty good, huh? You can't say we don't get the job done."

Adama was the one to reply. "That was impressive General. Thank you to both you and your people for your assistance."

"Ah, no problem. Any time. But now, you could do me a favour…" Adama looked at him, waiting for his request. "Put me through to the Hyperion. I've got some people over there who are going to want to make a visit…"


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Dauntless**

Colonel William Bolton sat in the command chair of the X-305 Dauntless. The ship wasn't supposed to be launching for almost a month, so when he had been woken early in the morning and told he had 10 minutes to get ready before he was beamed over to his new command, he was quite surprised… to say the least. He'd left a wife at home, his children had gone off to College so he didn't have to worry about them, but he did feel bad about his wife. He kept a picture of her in his pocket at all times. She was beautiful; he constantly told her that she grew more beautiful all the time. Even in her late forties she was only slightly younger than him, but while his hair began to turn grey and wrinkles began to appear, her hair had retained its colour and her skin had stayed as soft as fresh as the day he had met her. He hated what he was doing to her, but she was the one who had told him to go for it… even though he hadn't been allowed to tell her what 'it' was.

He watched as people rushed around the bridge in an attempt to get the ship up and running and ready to hold its own. The bridge was slightly larger than that of its predecessors, and it had more of a futuristic look to it, due to why and how it was built. The X-305 had been in planning since the Asgard had given their knowledge to humanity, as the BC-304s could only be upgraded so much before they reached their limit. Colonel Bolton had toured both the Odyssey and the Hyperion in preparation for his commanded, and he noticed the differences, some subtle, but some rather major. The interior design didn't look quite as 'human' as the BC-304s had, but overall the feel was similar.

Touring the other two ships had given Colonel Bolton an insight into what the commanders and crews had to deal with, and it had also given him a great respect for them. He was honoured to be chosen to command the Dauntless. In 2005 the Daedalus had been launched, and now, in 2010, he was the man who would command the first of Earth's new class of ship. He had a big responsibility to live up to the great Colonel Steven Caldwell who had persevered for 5 years, and he fully intended to do his best. He had been looking forward to leading Earth's first fully international crew, and working with some of the best people from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. For now though, he had to settle with a temporary crew provided by the USAF. He had been with the air force for years and he was sure they would serve well under his command. Considering part of his temporary crew would consist of officers who had served on other Earth ships, he had to admit that ha felt secure with what he was getting.

He stood up and moved closer to the window, looking out at the stars. Earth's first ship to be constructed in space. Another record for the Dauntless. As he looked across space, a small smile crept over his face. Something was coming. But he trusted that the Dauntless would defend Earth valiantly when it's time came.

**Battlestar Galactica**

Samantha Carter, Daniel Jackson, Rodney McKay and John Sheppard entered the large room unsure of what to expect. Sam saw a number of people she recognised, as well as General O'Neill. The President of the Colonials, the Admiral and his son were all present, as well as a number of others. The ships had left to rejoin the Colonial fleet once the last of the Wraith had been dealt with.

The Admiral stood up and welcomed the new guests. "Colonel Carter." He gestured to his left. "This is Tom Zarek, the Vice President. You've already met the President and my son, Lee."

"Yes, I have. Good to see you again." She walked up to Zarek and shook his hand. "And good to meet you, Mr. Zarek."

"The feeling's mutual Colonel." Zarek sat back down as Adama gestured to his right.

"This is Caprica Six, and two her right are Gaius Baltar, Tory Foster, and D'Anna Biers. Tory and D'Anna are both Cylons, as is Caprica. However, we now see Caprica as one of us."

D'Anna quickly snapped her head to look at the Admiral. "We have been travelling with you for a long time now Admiral. Do you not accept us in the same way?"

"That's not what I meant and you know…" Adama was cut off before he could finish his sentence, by none other than General O'Neill.

"As interesting as we all find your domestic disputes, I'm sure there's something a little more important we have to discuss here. May not be as entertaining, but still..."

"The General is right." The President agreed, growing tired of the seemingly never-ending feud that had plagued the Colonials and the rebels since they had joined forces. They had a very fragile understanding, and at times it seemed that the Cylons were intent on destroying it. At other times, she admitted, it felt like the Colonials were trying to do the same. "There are much more urgent matters at hand. Take a seat, Colonel."

Sam sat down near O'Neill on the opposite side of the large table to the Colonials and Cylon rebels. "I would like to introduce Dr. Daniel Jackson, Colonel John Sheppard, and Dr. Rodney McKay."

"Good to have you back, Colonel Sheppard." Adama turned to the newcomers. "And it's a pleasure to meet the both of you." The expedition members sat down and returned the Admiral's greetings.

"Alright, let's cut the formalities and get down to business." The President didn't want to waste any time. After all, for her, time was a very big factor now. "You now know quite a lot about us. We would like to know more about you. Is what you told us true? That you come from a planet known as 'New Lantea'?"

Sam looked at Jack, not sure about how much she could give away this early. His look gave her all she needed to know. She turned back to the Colonial President. "Sort of. We actually reside in a city called Atlantis, on the planet designated New Lantea."

The President looked at her. "How does that make a difference? I was originally from Caprica, but the fact that I resided in Caprica City didn't change that fact."

Daniel stepped in. "Well, Atlantis wasn't always on New Lantea…"

A look of confusion spread across the faces of the Colonials and rebels. Adama wasn't satisfied with the answer. "How is that possible?"

This time it was Daniel who looked at O'Neill, before turning back to the Colonials. "You see, Atlantis isn't just a city, it's basically a giant starship. We sent an expedition there in 2004, well six years ago. It was originally on a planet we called Lantea, but after an… unfortunate incident, we had to get the city off the planet and to a new home."

The room was quiet for a moment, while the information was digested. "That's impossible." Tory Foster broke the silence. "It can't be true."

"Well believe what you want." Sam didn't like it when her people were called liars. "But it IS true."

"Wait. You said you sent an expedition there?" Lee asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Yes." Said Sam, knowing full well where the situation was going. She wasn't sure whether this was the best thing to do, but O'Neill seemed to have given his blessing. "The Atlantis Expedition travelled to the city in 2004 from Earth, our home planet, but the city itself was…" Sam was cut off by gasps from the Colonials.

"Did you just say Earth?" The President asked, she wasn't sure how she managed it through the shock and awe she was experiencing.

"Well… yes, but that isn't really relevant considering were in another…" She was cut off again, this time by the blonde Cylon woman D'Anna.

"Not relevant? Earth is the most important thing to all of us.

"Exactly." Zarek continued. "We've been searching for Earth for years now. This is the most important day in the history of the Colonial Remnant. We should hold a press conference at once."

Laura shot him a look. "I think not."

"The fleet deserves to know!"

"And they will, soon. We'll continue this tomorrow. I think we all need some time to process this information." As Laura stood up to finish the proceedings, she gave Adama a look. The day wasn't over yet.

"General O'Neill, do you mind if the President and I speak to you for a moment…" He stared at the Cylons, and Zarek. "In Private?"

**Odyssey**

While the Phoenix was expected to take a week and a half to get to Atlantis, the Odyssey was almost at the edge of Pegasus after under a day of travelling. The upgrades the Asgard had provided, as well as the ZPM and the incident in the Ori galaxy in which replicators had overrun the ship had meant that the Odyssey was now the fastest ship in the known universe. That came in handy when your major interests spanned more than one galaxy.

"ma'am, we've received a communication from Atlantis." The helmsman turned to face Colonel Alexandra Morgan as he spoke.

"What does it say?" She asked, hoping that the Wraith hadn't reached them.

"They're telling us to head straight to M1K-773. Apparently there's no one on the planet at the moment but they would rather a ship was sent, just in case."

Colonel Morgan breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Get us there A.S.A.P. How long do you estimate it will take, major?"

"At current speeds ma'am, we should be there in less than an hour."

Alex smiled. "Good. Let's go get us an Ancient warship."

The Colonel was a smart woman. She knew that having an Ancient Warship on your side was a great thing, and if Earth's scientists were able to refit it then it would be a fantastic asset. Plans had been drawn up in the event of this situation happening, and it seems they would now come in handy. There was already a name waiting for the new ship, the Heracles. It seemed fitting, considering the ship would eventually be part human, part Ancient.

Alex's blue eyes showed how deep in thought she was as she considered the possibilities of adding the Heracles to Earth's growing fleet; the problems in the past had been down to the number of Earth's ships, not their capability. It seemed that soon they would have a fleet of six ships, which usually wouldn't be considered anything special, but for Earth it was unheard of.

**Battlestar Galactica**

A day after the revelation regarding Earth, the Colonials, Cylons and humans met aboard the Galactica once again. The day before had come as a shock to the Colonials more than anyone, but they weren't ready to just take the word of these new people as proof.

"We want to see Earth." Adama started the proceedings bluntly.

Tory Foster looked at him in shock. "If they get to go, we do to."

O'Neill laughed. "I don't think so. For now, none of you are going. We may be able to arrange a visit for the Colonials shortly."

"And what about us?" D'Anna asked, not wanting to be left out.

"I don't think you'll be coming to Earth anytime soon, if ever." O'Neill said with a grin on his face.

The third Cylon model was growing angry. "Isn't it a bit unfair that you take them and not…"

D'Anna was cut off, as O'Neill erupted. "Isn't it a bit unfair that you nuked the majority of their civilisation to hell!?"

The room once again fell silent. The Cylons knew it was only a matter of time before the humans learned about the atrocities of the Cylons. "That was a different time." She countered, unsure of what else to say.

O'Neill sniggered. "Things like that aren't easily forgiven. Quite frankly I'm surprised the Colonials have resisted the urge to blast your spaceship to bits. I know they haven't forgiven you. But they've been a hell of a lot more forgiving then I would have, had you nuked my home." Roslin smiled. She had been feeling extremely under the weather today, but that had managed to cheer her up, no matter how terrible she felt. "We may have another place for the Cylons to go. But you will never be welcome on Earth."

The Cylons couldn't believe this. Tory stood up from her seat, demanding the attention of the room. "This is unacceptable. Our place is on Earth."

O'Neill walked up to Tory, staring her down. "Earth is OUR planet." He waved his hand in the direction of Sam and the Expedition members. "OUR place is on Earth. Now, like I said, there's another place for you to go. We have some friends that need your help. If you help them, they'll give you your own planet and set you up for life. You don't help them… then… we'll leave you out here to rot."

Tory stared back at him, thinking of all of the ways she would like to hurt the man. She was about to argue, when she realised it would be useless. "We're going." With that, D'Anna stood and joined her fellow Cylon, before they both left the room, followed closely by their escort.

Tom Zarek began applauding. "Good job General. You made the right…"

"You can stop right there." O'Neill cut in. "I've heard about you too, Zarek."

The Vice President gave him a shocked look, and stood up. "And just what the frak is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that…" This time, O'Neill was the one cut off as Laura Roslin fell to her hands and knees behind the table and vomited violently.

The room looked at her. "Oh my god… Is she alright?" Daniel asked, worried about what he had just seen. The Admiral, Lee and Gaius all got up from the table and helped her up from the floor.

Adama looked at the guests from Earth. "Sorry about this… she's not well, hasn't been for a while now. Can we continue this tomorrow please?"

Sam got up and looked at the President. "What's wrong with her?"

"We'd prefer not to go into right now."

"You have to tell us."

The Admiral shot Sam a look. "And why do we have to do that? You feel that because you're from Earth you have a right to know everything about us?"

"No." Sam replied. "Because whatever is wrong with her, we know people who can make her better."


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Battlestar Galactica**

General O'Neill and Colonel Samantha Carter had requested a private audience with Admiral Adama. They had discovered that the President, Laura Roslin, was suffering from cancer and that it was too far along to be cured by either the Colonials or Earths own doctors. Leaps and bounds had been made in the treatment of cancer over the last few years with the use of stem cells, but in Roslin's case this would be of little help. However, the General had an ace card up his sleeve.

"They're called the Asgard, Admiral." The General said as he watched Adama pace around the room. The man had deduced that these 'people' that the General and his friend had been talking about were not human.

Adama stopped, and stared blankly at O'Neill. "And these… Asgard… They're aliens, correct?"

"Yes." Sam explained. "But they aren't like the Wraith. The Asgard are very close allies. And basically, our allies are their allies. They'll be very interested in meeting you and you're people, I'm sure. They have an interest in the Cylons, but that is for… different reasons."

Adama didn't like that. "And what 'reasons' would they be?"

"Well…" Sam wondered what the best way to explain the situation would be. "The Asgard had genetic problems. Their bodies were clones of the original Asgard race, with the minds transferred over again, and again, and again. A few years ago, the Asgard destroyed their own Homeworld and gave us their technology, their legacy. Last year, I discovered that the Asgard had placed their minds into storage; they had their own virtual world where they worked on a way to solve their problem. They were right under our noses for two years and we didn't even realise." Adama gave Sam a look that showed that he understood, but at the same time was quite bewildered by what he was hearing. "I worked on a way to help them with Dr. McKay, and together we managed to create a program which allowed them to exist in holographic bodies. They returned to their own galaxy without the need to continuously clone bodies, and continued to work on a way to find a permanent solution to their problem, a way to create new bodies without the worry of degradation."

It all clicked inside Adama's head. "And with what we told you about the human form Cylons…"

Sam smiled. "Exactly."

"Well, now that this little history lesson is over, let's get down to business." O'Neill stepped forward and began speaking once again." You can't keep your fleet out here, not when you've been found by the Wraith. There are, what? Tens of thousands of people in your fleet? That is one nice meal to those guys, and they will be looking for you, no doubt about it. I've decided that your fleet can come to New Lantea."

"I thought you said the Wraith were on their way there, General?"

"The Wraith are on their way there, but with so many Hives coming online at once Atlantis is the safest place to be in the Galaxy now. The city currently has two ZPM's almost fully charged, so the shield will be able to hold for a while. You won't be able to come into the actual city at first, but I'll be going straight back to Earth to get the International partners to agree to give your fleet sanctuary within the city. And don't worry. I don't intend to come back to the Pegasus Galaxy with 'no' as the answer."

**Samantha Carter**

The second his flagship dropped out from hyperspace, Supreme Commander Thor looked out over New Lantea and thought of the Ancients who once inhabited it. He had never seen the city himself, but what he had heard of it astounded him. There had been other Asgard who had come to Atlantis over the years, but even though Thor had wanted to see it, he had not yet been able to.

Thor had travelled to New Lantea aboard the Samantha Carter, the first of a new upgraded class of O'Neill type star ships. They were faster, more powerful, and once again re-instated the Asgard as the most powerful race in the known universe. They were still not ready to start taking care of the protected planets again, so for now that task fell to Earth.

Suddenly a voice came on over the intercom. "Asgard ship, this is Lieutenant Colonel Johnson of the Atlantis Expedition, I am in command until Colonel Carter, Colonel Sheppard or Dr. Daniel Jackson return. Would you like to land, or will your ship be remaining in orbit?"

"This is Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard. My ship will be remaining in orbit, however I would like the opportunity to beam down to Atlantis if that is acceptable."

Thor heard the voice of the man once again. "Of course, we'll be ready for you. The shield is lowered so just come down when you're ready."

"I will let you know when I am ready. Thank you Lieutenant Colonel Johnson." With that, the communication was terminated.

**Odyssey**

A green hyperspace window formed near M1K-773, and the Odyssey soon dropped out of it. Alex Morgan took in the view of the beautiful blue and green planet sitting before her all the while thinking of the ship that would soon be in their possession. Her thoughts soon changed to what had occurred here such a short time before, Earth's first encounter with the Colonials. It certainly was an interesting time, to say the least.

"OK, I want a team down in that bunker within the hour, and I want that ship up and running as fast as possible." Alex sighed as she got up out of the command chair and walked closer to the large front window, staring at the large planet in front of them. "We're gonna need it."

**Battlestar Galactica**

Roslin sat in the infirmary bed, wondering how she ever managed to survive to see the day when the fleet would encounter the people from Earth. She should have been dead years ago, yet here she was, mostly thanks to Hera Agathon, the child she once thought about having flushed out an airlock… Of course that was before she was even born, and Laura was happy that it had never came to that, and not just because of the advanced cancer treatments that the baby had been integral to.

"Can I come in?" Bill Adama stood at the door of the almost empty room, smiling at her.

Laura smiled a weak smile back. "I'd be sad if you didn't."

The Admiral walked in and sat beside Laura. "Our guests have just returned to their ships. They've put an… interesting offer on the table."

She had been waiting to hear this all day. "And that would be?"

"Sanctuary." Adama replied. "In Atlantis. They are willing to offer us protection underneath the cities shield. Or at least they will eventually. One of the ships is disembarking; General O'Neill is supposedly going back to Earth. He says he is going to try ad convince the leaders there to allow us into the city."

"Do you believe him?" Laura asked.

Adama took a moment to answer; he hadn't actually asked himself that question yet with all of the commotion and revelations. "Yes… I do believe him. I think he is telling the truth, and I'd say the same about his people."

The president's lips curled into a smile. "Good." She trusted Adama's judgement.

"The other ship is waiting here." Adama continued. "They are going to escort us to Atlantis, on your order. It's your call, Laura."

She didn't even need to think about it. "What kind of leader would I be if I said no to this?"

"I thought so." Adama smiled.

"You know Bill… I never actually thought I'd live to see this. I put on a front; I said what people wanted me to say. There were times when I didn't believe in what I was saying, but I could never admit it… Not until now. I know I don't have long left, but…"

Adama cut her off. "You could have a hell of a lot more time then you think. There's something else I need to tell you."

**Daedalus**

Caldwell was confused. "How do you suppose we get this fleet to Atlantis Sam? From what you've said yourself, their means of travel are vastly inferior."

Sam had originally thought that this would be a big problem, but she had got some news before coming back to the Daedalus that made things a lot easier. "Well, when I beamed to the Hyperion after we left the Galactica we got some news through from Atlantis. Thor arrived, not long ago in fact. I've requested that he comes here and tows the fleet back to Atlantis."

"Ah… OK." Caldwell was happy that little issue was out of the way, but he soon saw another one. "But how long will that take? That means the ship is going to be back and forward across the galaxy dozens of times. Are you sure the Colonial leaders will like their fleet being split up like that?"

This thought had also crossed Sam's mind. "The ship Thor came on wasn't one of the original O'Neill class. It was an upgraded version, considerably faster and able to tow more than one ship at once. The Galactic can travel back and forth with groups of ships, and the Colonials can send a party over here to ensure the rest of the fleet is safe.

"Wow." Caldwell couldn't quite believe there was a ship out there capable of that. "So what's this super-ship called?"

"I… Don't know." Sam lied.

**Hyperion**

"Jack, these people need our help. You can't let the I.O.A or the government turn them down." Daniel Jackson pleaded with his old friend, hoping he realised what was at stake for the Colonials.

"Don't worry Daniel. I told the Admiral I wouldn't accept a 'no'. These people deserve protecting, after the kind of crap they've been through."

Daniel let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you agree. We don't even know if they'll put up any resistance yet."

Jack sniggered. "Oh, you can bet they will. Mind you, if I was asked to let thousands of aliens into Atlantis after they'd kidnapped two of my people, I doubt I'd greet the idea with open arms. I kind of wanted to take some of them back to Earth with me so that the I.O.A could meet them, but all things considered I think its best that I didn't."

"Yes." Daniel agreed. "There beliefs would make that… complicated. To say the least."

"Exactly. Either way, they're gonna have to come to Earth eventually… But for now, Atlantis should have to do. I should be back on Earth in a couple of hours, and I'm not planning on staying long."

**Battlestar Galactica**

The room was full of people. No, not people, vultures. Laura could barely stand but she had agreed to do this press conference, yet the people in front of her were screaming questions and demanding answers, wearing her down and not giving a damn, even though they were well aware of her condition.

Laura tried to pick one person from the crowd, finding it hard with all the commotion. She finally pointed at one journalist and the rest were silenced by the Admiral, allowing one voice to speak and to be heard. "When Tom Zarek spoke he told us that these humans weren't going to let us go to Earth, is that true?"

Laura sighed. She knew it was coming. "Yes. For now. We briefed Mr. Zarek and everything he said was true, but you need to remember that Zarek…" Laura stopped for a moment. "It doesn't matter. Next question."

Another voice spoke up, before anyone else had a chance. "So these humans, our supposed brothers and sisters, are denying us help?"

"No." Laura replied. "One of their people is returning to Earth as we speak, he wishes to provide sanctuary on another, well protected planet. One day he believes we will be allowed to visit Earth, though he has not yet stated why we cannot travel there today." Voices once again roared through the room, and Laura brought a hand to her head, attempting to sooth the pain away.

Lee stepped up to her side, and raised his voice in an attempt to be heard over the many voices. "OK, the President won't be answering anymore questions. If you have anymore, they can be directed at me." Lee had been offered the job of President at one point, after he had taken the role temporarily in the wake of Roslin's abduction by the Cylon hybrid on the Basestar that now helped to defend the Colonial fleet. He had handed the job back to Roslin, at the time not wanting to take it. She had then wanted him to be her Vice President, but realised that she couldn't just fire Zarek. So he want back to being a Viper Pilot, and that was when he realised that there was no where he would rather be. Despite this, he had been much more involved in important matters, and the President trusted him more than anyone else to speak for her.

The Admiral stepped up and led Roslin away, giving his son a smile of gratitude as Lee began to take questions. As she was taken from the room, the President stopped and looked directly into the Admiral's eyes. "If those people can help me Bill… They're going to have to do it soon."

**Daedalus**

Only an hour and a half after the press conference on Galactica, a flash of light filled the bridge of the Daedalus. Samantha Carter, Laura Roslin, Lee Adama, Karl Agathon and Kara Thrace all appeared onboard. "Colonel, how did it go?" Caldwell asked the second his colleague and friend appeared.

"It went well." Sam replied. Admiral Adama agreed to stay aboard the Galactica, and I am going to beam directly over to the Asgard ship as soon as it arrives along with the President and Lee Adama."

"The ship should be here any minute."

"OK. The President should be healed by the time the first group reaches Atlantis, and then she will return with the Galactica for the next group."

Laura stepped forward and shook Caldwell's hand. "Nice to meet you Colonel. Promise me you'll look after my fleet while we're gone."

Caldwell smiled and accepted the handshake. "Don't worry madam President. You have nothing to worry about."

"Good. I'll take your word for it. The Admiral trusts your people, and I trust him."

Carter reassured the President. "No harm will come to your fleet while the Daedalus is here. We won't allow it." Roslin wondered how someone could make such a promise with the threat of both the Cylons and Wraith constantly looming, but her thoughts were soon cut short.

"Colonels, a ship is dropping out of hyperspace… It's Asgard."

Caldwell watched as the large ship dropped out of hyperspace near the Galactica, and it was only then that the Colonials realised the amazing the view that was behind them. They all gasped in amazement as they took in the site of the Colonial fleet with the large alien ship sitting along side it. "Thank you Major. Open a communications channel with the ship."

An Asgard voice was heard on the bridge of the Daedalus, causing all to listen intently. "This is Supreme Commander Thor onboard the Samantha Carter. How may I be of assistance?" Caldwell gave Sam a look, and smiled as she blushed.

**Galactica's CIC**

Felix Gaeta informed the CIC the second that the alien ship dropped out of hyperspace. "Admiral, we're picking up a new ship on DRADIS. Going by what Colonel Carter told us, it's the alien ship."

"Thank you, Felix." Adama said.

"Arm all weapons and be ready to fire if they make a single wrong move." Colonel Tigh was quick to give out orders.

Adama however disagreed with his XO's course of action. "Delay that!" He looked at Saul and lowered his voice so only he could hear him. "What the hell do you think you're doing? These 'Asgard' are more powerful than the humans, and certainly more powerful than us."

Saul was quick to counter Bill's argument. "If they do try anything funny, then they could attack us within seconds, we should be ready."

"They aren't going to attack us, Saul. I'm sure of it." The Admiral raised his voice and addressed the CIC once again. "Open communications with the new ship and tell them we have formed a plan of action with Colonel Carter."

"Yes sir." Felix carried out the Admiral's orders without any hesitation.

Saul still wasn't sure. "Do you really think this is the right thing to do Bill. Can you really trust these 'people'?"

"I trusted you." The Admiral replied.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Samantha Carter**

President Roslin watched from a rear window as a group of her ships, including the Galactica, were towed into hyperspace by the larger alien vessel. She had never seen anything like it. The views she had seen while flying between ships in Raptors had been nice, but this amazed her.

"President Roslin. Lee Adama. It is good to meet you." A strange voice caused The President and Lee Adama to turn swiftly; they were met with a sight even stranger than the one they had just witnessed. Supreme Commander Thor walked up to the Colonials and extended his small, grey hand to them.

The Colonials stared at Thor in shock, unsure of what to do. The alien lowered his hand after a short while, turned around and began walking away. After walking a few steps, he turned back and gestured to the three humans. "Follow me, please."

**Galactica's CIC**

The entire ship felt the move into hyperspace, a totally new sensation. Colonel Carter had expressed some concern regarding the Galactica's armour, or lack thereof. She had tried to convince the Admiral to remain behind, saying that the travel could damage the ship, but he wasn't having any of it. Galactica was probably the best equipped ship to handle this, of course the fact that it would be making numerous hyperspace trips as opposed to just one made Carter's point valid.

"I don't like this." Tigh said, once again letting the Admiral know how he felt about the whole thing.

"Yes, Saul. I'm well aware of that. You've made your feelings perfectly clear, and they've been noted."

"I just think that…"

The XO was cut off by Adama before he had a chance to finish. "I know exactly what you think. But you aren't quite getting this through your head. This is our last chance Saul." The Admiral came closer to his friend until they were face to face. "The fleet is falling apart. Tensions are higher than they have ever been. We haven't seen a single hostile Cylon since we came through that wormhole years ago yet; somehow, things have _never_ been worse. What else do you suggest we do Saul? Really. I'm open to suggestions." Tigh stood, not saying a word. "Yes. I thought so."

**M1K-773**

"Colonel, we've aboard the Heracles." The words came through mere minutes after a team had beamed down to the planet. Alex wasn't looking to waste time. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the ship was still there and the recent activity above the planet hadn't revealed it's presence to the Wraith.

"Good work. How long do you think it will be before you have the ship online?"

The reply came instantly. The team knew what they were doing, and where they stood in terms of this particular ship. "It shouldn't be too long, maybe a few hours before we get it out of here."

The Colonel smiled. "Ok. You've got two. The powers that be want that ship back at Atlantis as quick as possible so it can be made battle ready. The sooner the better."

**Samantha Carter**

"Where are you taking us?" Lee and Roslin had never experienced anything like this before. The human vessel had been quite similar to the Colonial ships in design, at least compared to this… It was certainly new, they couldn't deny that.

Thor turned to his guests "Do not worry Lee Adama. We are going to place the President in a healing chamber. This should kill her cancer and ensure that it does not return. The small grey man began walking again, as did Carter and Lee. Laura didn't move.

"Why are you doing this? What do you want in return? Don't tell me you would do something like this for nothing."

Thor turned once again, and walked closer to the President. He stared at her for a moment before speaking. "Laura Roslin. You and you're people clearly have a lot to learn about the universe. We are not like your Cylons. I am doing this partly as a favour to Colonel Carter and General O'Neill, and partly because I would rather not see you die and leave your people devoid of a strong leader. I do not have an ulterior motive. We want to study the Cylons, but that has nothing to do with you and you're people, we do not need your blessing. I am not going to force you into the healing chamber; it is your decision…" Laura held eye contact with the alien as he spoke, surprised at his bluntness but admiring it at the same time. "…But I suggest you make your decision soon. We do not have long before we arrive Atlantis, and you will need to be returned to Galactica."

Thor began walking once again, followed by Sam. Apollo looked at the president. "Can't hurt to give it a shot?"

**Atlantis**

"Shh... Go to sleep. Please go to sleep?" Kanaan's attempts to calm his son were interrupted when someone arrived at the home he shared with Teyla Emmagan. He swiftly moved to the door with Torren in his arms, and welcomed in Dr. Jennifer Keller.

"Hi Kanaan, nice to see you. Teyla asked me before she left if I would pay you and Torren a visit. She said he'd been restless recently? More than usual?"

"Yes, yes." Kanaan replied. "Please Jennifer, come in."

Keller walked into the room, smiling at Torren as she passed. "So has he had any symptoms other than that? High temperature, has he been sick?"

"No, I don't believe so." Kanaan replied. "He has just been very resilient towards our attempts to make him rest. Although, I personally think the cure would be for him to spend more time with his mother... Teyla is much better at this then I am."

Keller put her hand on Kanaan's shoulder. "Believe me, everyone thinks you are doing a fantastic job."

"I have to do the best for my son. But we both miss her when she goes off with the team."

"It must be hard…" Keller said, realising that, although she had developed strong bonds with people on the base, she couldn't fully understand what Kanaan must have felt each time Teyla went on a mission. She finished the examination of Torren that she had been doing while talking with Kanaan. "Well, he seems fine. I can't see any physical symptoms. If he continues to be restless and loses too much sleep then bring him down and I'll see if there's something I can do for him."

"Thank you for your time Jennifer. It was nice of you to come out and see him."

Keller smiled. "It was my pleasure. Anyway, I better go. Lieutenant Colonel Johnson wanted an update on Jeannie Miller and some of my other patients, and apparently the Hyperion is back."

Kanaan looked away from Torren and at the doctor. "How is Jeannie?"

"She's doing well. She's worried about Rodney more than anything… But I'm sure they'll all be OK. I guess we'll find out shortly now that the ship has returned, assuming this is the one they came back on."

"I'm sure they will be fine…" Kanaan replied, trying to convince himself. "I'm sure they will..."

**SGC**

As soon as O'Neill got back to Atlantis, he was on the move again, this time to Earth, and using a slightly different form of travel. It had always amazed him that you could travel between two galaxies so quickly. Obviously he had come over even more amazing things since he learned about the Stargate, but getting from Pegasus to the Milky Way, or vice versa so quickly, had never ceased to instil a real sense of wonder in him. As he stepped out of the gate at the SGC the first person to greet him was his old friend, General Landry. "Jack, welcome back to Earth."

"Good to be back, Hank. Now, where are those pesky I.O.A representatives? I've been dying to sit down and have a conversation with them."

"They're in the briefing room. George is up there talking to them already. I suggest you get yourself up there, they don't seem in a great mood, you know with the threat of the Wraith looming over Atlantis and all."

"Yes…" Jack replied. "Believe me Hank, that hasn't exactly got me over the moon either."

**Samantha Carter**

Lee Adama and Samantha Carter sat on the floor of the Asgard ship's bridge and watched as Thor worked over a console, while Roslin lay inside a small pod nearby. Sam looked at Lee; she could tell he was agitated. She tried to reassure him. "The process is taking longer than expected, her cancer must have been worse than we thought, but that doesn't mean she's incurable. If anyone can make her better, it's Thor. She'll be OK."

Lee didn't doubt Thor's abilities. The Asgard had already proven to be an amazing race. "Thanks Colonel… I'm sure she will be." The two battle-hardened soldiers, who were beginning to build up a mutual respect for each other, sat in silence for a moment, watching Thor. Eventually Lee spoke again. "She feels really bad."

Sam turned to the Colonial and looked at him. "What?"

"Kara." Lee replied. "She feels bad about what she did to you."

Sam smiled. "It's fine. I'm over it." There was silence once again, but Sam decided she hadn't finished. She turned to Apollo again. "I know what you guys have been through. You thought we were Cylons. Believe me, in her situation, if someone had nuked my planet to hell and killed so many that I cared about… Well I think I would have done a hell of a lot worse. I don't hold it against Kara"

Lee looked at her, and for a moment the two soldiers just stared at each other. Lee realised that they had a mutual understanding.

"Colonel Carter, Lee Adama, she is ready." They both got up and hurried over to the pod, as the glass retracted and Laura slowly awakened. She stared up at the woman and man above her, before fully regaining her clarity.

"Lee?" She asked.

A smile crossed Apollo's face, the biggest for a long time. "Yes, I'm here Madam President, I'm here. Are you OK?"

Laura looked at him, before sitting up. "I'm fine. Infact, I'm better than fine, I've never felt this good in years." She climbed out of the pod, and stood for a moment, before Lee hugged her. She couldn't help but laugh and return the hug. "What was that for?"

Lee pulled away but kept his hands on her shoulders, the grin still on his face and growing bigger. "For not giving up."

The President smiled, and hugged him again. "I never intended too."

Sam and Thor looked at each other, a smile across Sam's face too. Thor's expression remained normal. "Shall we embrace also, Colonel Carter?" Sam looked at him for a second, trying her best not to laugh. Thor's humour was certainly different to anything she had encountered on Earth, but she found it just as funny.

"Dad is going to be so happy about this." Lee said. "He needed this; he needed you to get better. You're the only thing that's kept him going these past couple of years." Laura had thought about Bill since she had boarded the ship. If she wasn't mistaken, she even remembered dreaming about him while being healed, and what would happen next with both the Colonial remnant, and with him.

The reunion was interrupted by Thor. "We are dropping out of Hyperspace. We have arrived at Atlantis."

Lee, Sam and Laura walked towards the window at the front of the bridge and looked out over the planet in front of them. Sam smiled at the expressions on the Colonial's faces. "Amazing, isn't it? Welcome to your new home."

Laura turned to Sam, she looked as though she was about to say something but the words didn't come out at first, she was still in awe. When she finally spoke, Sam could tell from the sincerity in her voice that she was truly ready to form a proper alliance. "…Thank you, Colonel Carter." She turned to Thor. "And thank you, too, Commander."

Thor decided not to correct Roslin, instead bowing his head. Roslin smiled and once again looked over the planet, as Carter and Lee did the same. They watched as a number of Colonial ships began travelling closer to the planet, finding a stable orbit. The three stood there for a moment in silence, before being brought back to the present by the sound of an Asgard klaxon. Thor began working at the console once more. "There is a problem…"

Carter ran to Thor's side and looked at the console. "What is it?"

Thor looked out the window at the vessels going into orbit. "One of the Colonial ships was severely damaged by the hyperspace journey. Its hull is destabilizing."

Roslin and Apollo turned back to the window, and only then did they notice that one of the ships wasn't going into orbit, but was infact travelling directly towards the planet.

"What the hell?" Apollo shouted. "They'll burn up in the atmosphere! You've got to do something!"

Thor was once again working hard at the console. "I am in the process of being the Colonials from the damaged vessel into the hold at the rear of this ship."

Sam turned to him. "It's a reasonably small ship; couldn't you beam the whole thing into the hold?"

"That would take too long; we do not have enough time." Thor once again stared out the window. "The hull is losing integrity."

Thor, Sam and the Colonials watched as the ship was ripped apart in the atmosphere, followed by a large flash indicating that there was nothing more that could be done to save it. Laura turned to the small alien and ran up to him, standing on the other side of the console. "How many people?" She asked, frantically. "How many people did you save?"


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Galactica's CIC**

"What the hell happened?" The CIC of the Galactica was in disarray, one of the Colonial ships had been lost. Adama wanted to know what was going on, had they been attacked? Had the ship been sabotaged?

Dualla was quick to respond. "Sir, there were no weapons fired from what I can see, the ship just exploded…"

"I told you Bill! You wouldn't listen!"

"Shut up Saul! There's an explanation. There has to be." Adama turned back to Dualla. "Get me that alien ship now. I want to talk to the President."

**Atlantis**

The Atlantis embarkation room was in a similar state. "One of the ships… It lost structural integrity and just… exploded…" Chuck the technician informed the room, and Colonel Sheppard and Dr. Jackson, of what had happened.

"For god sakes we just got back!" McKay couldn't believe how quickly things had gone to bad once again. "How many people were on that ship?"

Chuck turned to Rodney to answer the man's question and to break the bad news to the others. "Well, when the ship first dropped out of hyperspace it had 398 people onboard. The number began to drop rapidly soon after, I think Thor must have realised what was happening and started beaming…"

The technician was cut off by McKay. "Yes I got that, how many people when it blew up?"

There was a short silence before Chuck answered, a solemn look on his face. "76."

**Samantha Carter**

"322?" Roslin asked, wanting the small alien to reiterate what he had just said.

"Yes." replied Thor. "I was able to save 322 of your people."

Roslin turned and slowly began walking back towards the window, staring at the planet below, the wreckage of the vessel burning up in the atmosphere. "If I'm right… There were nearly 400 people on that ship…

Sam walked up behind Roslin and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry…"

All of a sudden, the voice of Bill Adama filled the room. "This is Admiral Adama of the Galactica. I want to talk to the president right now."

**Atlantis**

Sheppard had called a meeting as soon as the full extent of the incident was known. Sitting at the conference room table were himself, Dr. McKay, Dr. Jackson, Ronon and Teyla. "This is not good. Something tells me the Colonials aren't going to be very happy."

"Tell me about it." replied Daniel. "They trusted us with the lives of their people and we've let them down. More precautions should have been taken before we attempted this, we should've known their ships were in no fit state…"

"And imagine how much damage will befall the Galactica." Teyla said, bringing up another problem. "They are going to have to make multiple trips back and forth; I doubt they will be able to make it in one piece."

"We can't let them do it." Ronan was the next to speak. "They're idiots if they think they can survive that many trips. They need to let us handle things."

"Something tells me it isn't going to be that simple." Daniel stated what everybody was thinking, but didn't want to say, and McKay agreed.

"There's no way they'll just sit here and let us go back and forth. I doubt they'll trust us now."

Sheppard sighed. "The Admiral seems to be a good man, and I genuinely think he trusts us. I need to get him down here and we need to figure this out."

**Samantha Carter**

Laura Roslin had managed to calm down after she began speaking with the Admiral, but she couldn't help but think about the people that had been lost, the most in a long time. "I believe them Bill. I'm not inclined to think this was there fault, at least not totally. I don't think they did anything on purpose."

Adama agreed with her. "I feel the same. I don't see why they would do it on purpose either. If they wanted to kill our people they could do it here and now."

Roslin sighed. "So what do you think we should do now? Colonel Carter has had an idea but I really don't know if we could get it to fly with the Quorum."

"What's her idea?" The Admiral was intrigued.

"She's suggesting moving the civilians onto this ship while theirs are being towed. If there are anymore accidents, then no one will be harmed, and Thor should be able to move more ships with each journey. It should speed up the process."

"That sounds good to me." Bill knew it would be hard to get the Quorum to agree to it, but they didn't really have to know. At times like this the president and Admiral were allowed to make decisions that they believe will be the best for the fleet.

**SGC**

Jack sat at the table next to George Hammond. After the two men greeted each other, they turned to face the IOA representatives, one from Russia, one from China, one from Britain and another from France.

"Hello ladies and gentlemen, hope you've been enjoying your stay at the SGC. I'm here to ask…"

"We know exactly what you are here to ask General." Shen Xiaoyi, the Chinese representative for the IOA, cut Jack off before he could finish his sentence. "You are here to ask if we will give our permission to allow the Colonials to take haven in Atlantis."

O'Neill paused for a moment. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

"The answer…" Shen looked over her fellow representatives, before turning back to O'Neill and Hammond. "…is yes."

"Uhm… OK. That isn't what I expected." Jack was shocked. He never thought it would be that simple.

Hammond leaned forward and looked at Shen. "If you don't mind me asking…"

"Not at all."

"…If you've all already agreed to let the Colonials to take refuge in Atlantis, why was it so important that myself and General O'Neill attended this meeting? Couldn't you have just sent the message through the Stargate? That would have been considerably easier."

"Yes, we could have." Mr. Chapman, the British representative, was next to speak. "But we also wanted to know what you intend to do about the Wraith fleet heading for Atlantis."

"The Dauntless is coming online, we won't be defenceless here on Earth, and we understand that." Shen spoke once again. "However, sending all of our BC-304s to the Pegasus Galaxy all at once means we will likely come out of this with a considerably smaller fleet than the one we started with. Is it imperative that they all go?"

"Yes." O'Neill replied. "If we're going to have any hope of stopping them it is."

"Just how many Wraith Hive ships does this fleet consist of?" asked Mr. LaPierre, the French representative.

Hammond and O'Neill looked at each other, before looking back at their guests. They were surprised that these people hadn't been told yet. Jack was the one to break the news. "About 50. Give or take."

**Battlestar Galactica**

"You're actually agreeing with this woman?" Asked Zarek, furious that the President and Admiral had already given the go ahead to Carter's new plan without consulting either himself or the Quorum. "I'm the Vice President; you should have told me before you made this decision!" Roslin had beamed over to the Galactica with Colonel Carter soon after the incident, and she had not been looking forward to dealing with him.

"We didn't have time to consult you Mr. Zarek, I'm afraid the decision had to be taken quickly. The Wraith could attack the fleet at any time and quite frankly I can't be bothered to negotiate while

"There is always time. We are supposed to have a system; you can't just bypass it any time you want to." The vice president wasn't having any of it. "And where the hell is Apollo? Don't tell me he's still on that damn alien ship."

Sam stepped forward. "He agreed to stay behind and co-ordinate the efforts on the other side with Thor when we get back to the fleet…"

"I was talking to the President, if you don't mind Colonel." Roslin was gob smacked by Zarek's audacity, so much so that she was left open mouthed. That rarely happened to her. Tom began to walk towards the door, as if he hadn't said anything to Sam. "I'll be consulting with the Quorum about this; you'll here from them very soon. Oh, and good to see you're well, Laura." With that, Zarek left the room, leaving the two women alone. Tom wasn't angry at Sam. He wasn't angry at the humans at all really. He did, on the other hand, recognise this as an opportunity to hold something over them. They had come in, all high and mighty, and they held all the chips. Not anymore.

Laura turned to Sam as soon as he had left. "I'm sorry about that. But you have to understand that the original joy my people felt when we made contact has been… dampened quite a lot by recent events."

"I understand." Sam replied. "But if your people aren't going to trust us, then the process of helping them is going to be a hell of a lot harder then I'd hoped."

Laura sighed. "Exactly, we don't need this. I'm going to talk with Admiral Adama now to see how preparations for our return are coming along, ad I think Gaius Baltar wanted to talk to you about ways of upgrading the ships of the fleet once they are back to Atlantis, so they have a better chance against the Wraith."

"I'm not sure I can do that until official negotiations get underway on Atlantis…"

"One of our ships was destroyed and we lost a lot of good people, because of your plan. I think you can understand why we would want ship upgrades if being around you comes with such risks."

Sam looked at Roslin. "…Are you trying to blackmail me Madam President? After we saved your life?"

"Now Colonel, you know that I'm very grateful for what Commander Thor did for me, but all that you and your people have done so far is left us with a load of debris and dead bodies."

"We saved you when the Wraith attacked your fleet… And we are giving you haven in Atlantis." Carter was quite shocked by the way the President was acting, putting it down to anger over the loss of one of her ships.

"Unless I'm mistaken, you didn't lose dozens of people in the process, and there is no guarantee that we will be given sanctuary in Atlantis yet."

The two women stared each other down for a short time, before Sam spoke. "I'll go and see Gaius Baltar."

"Good." Laura smiled as she spoke. "His lab is close by, I'm sure if you ask someone they'll show you where it is."

"Fine." Sam said as she turned and began to walk towards the door. As she left, she mumbled quietly to herself. "Don't expect much though…"

**Unknown Wraith Facility**

The Wraith branded 'Todd' by John Sheppard stood on a small balcony at the top of one of the biggest Wraith facilities under his control. He stared out over the landscape before him, amazing reds and oranges illuminating the desert, the massive sun sitting on the horizon. He looked down, seeing hundreds of thousands of clone soldiers marching towards their designated Hive Ships, ships which were in the process of being brought online. There was already a fleet in orbit, Todd felt confident that his new armada wouldn't be susceptible to a sneak attack.

He turned and walked back into his private quarters, thinking about how he got to this point. How hard it had been to take power without a Queen, and then how easy it had been to unite the remainder of the Wraith once he had achieved his status. He hadn't wanted it to come to this. He had tried to work with the expedition to find a substitute food source, but it wasn't to be. His species were unwilling to take Michael's advanced retrovirus, or anything like it. For Todd, it was either the majority of the Wraith changed, or none of them did. His people had spoken. And now, the only way to clench their hunger was to take Earth. He had resigned himself to that fact… and he had decided that he was going to enjoy himself doing it.

**Battlestar Galactica**

Carter had been looking for Baltar's lab for a few minutes, but was having trouble finding it. She had asked a few people, but their reactions had been… strange. She got the feeling that there were quite a few people on the ship that weren't keen on Baltar. The people had seemed keen to talk to her until they found out where she was going.

She'd found herself in quite a quiet part of the deck, there was no one else around. Finally, she bumped into a Colonial soldier. "Thank god. I need help. I'm looking for Gaius Baltar's lab; Laura Roslin said it was…"

"You from Earth?" The soldier asked, cutting her off.

Sam wasn't sure where this was going. "Yes… I am. Can you help me?"

Without warning, the soldier pulled his gun on Sam, and pointed it at her chest. "You know, my family were on that ship." He stalked towards her, causing her to step back. "My wife… My kid. They won't tell me if they're alive or not…"

"Please, put down the gun." Sam tried to reason with him. She held her hands in the air either side of her and tried to calm the soldier down, but it wasn't working.

"It's weird, because they're telling everyone else if there relatives are alive… So… Why won't they tell me?" The man prepared to shoot, and Carter asked him calmly once again to put the gun down. He still refused to listen, and spoke over Carter before she could finish talking. "They won't tell me, because they're dead."

With that, the soldier pulled the trigger, sending a bullet into Carter's chest at close range. She fell backwards, clutching at her chest and breathing heavily. The soldier stood over her, and aimed the gun directly at her head. Tears streaked down her face as the pain flowed over her; she felt both agony and numbness as she stared down the barrel of the broken man's firearm. "I want you to remember my face…" With that, another shot rang out.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Battlestar Galactica**

"I want you to remember my face…" Carter closed her eyes. She wasn't going to give the man what he wanted. She heard his finger on the trigger… This was it. Another shot rang out.

Sam instantly opened her eyes again as she heard the soldier scream in agony. She'd been sure she was a goner. She watched as the man fell beside her, obviously in sever pain. She turned, still finding it hard to breathe and still in agony herself. Kara Thrace had saved her life. Or at least given her a few more minutes…

**Quorum Meeting**

Tom Zarek entered the Quorum meeting with thoughts of power in mind. News of the Presidents recovery had spread like wildfire throughout the fleet, but that would do little to save her popularity following the decision she had made. He stood at the head of the large table and addressed the Colonial Representatives. "My friends. The President and Admiral have decided to take the advice of Samantha Carter yet again, despite the fact that her last plan lead to the destruction of one of our ships and the loss of numerous lives."

A smile almost broke across Zarek's face as the Quorum gasped in disbelief that the President and Admiral would be so cavalier about this. "Will Colonel Carter not be reprimanded for the damage she has caused?" asked the representative from Tauron.

"From my understanding…" Zarek continued "the President is worried about upsetting the people of Earth, through fear of their advanced technology." Cries of 'ludicrous' and 'we should not be afraid to stand up for ourselves' spurred Tom on. "Now, the President has done a lot for us while in office, and she only has our best interests at heart. However… I believe it is time for a change of leadership."

With the resounding agreement of the room, Zarek finally let that smile creep across his face.

**Galactica Infirmary**

Carter was wheeled into the infirmary, Kara Thrace close behind. The colonial had gotten help as soon as she had stopped the attack. The soldier was also wheeled in crying in pain at the wound Kara had inflicted.

"Is she going to be alright?" Kara asked Dr. Cottle as Sam was lifted onto one of the infirmary beds.

"I really don't know." Cottle replied. "But you'll just make things worse by being here right now; if we're going to save her life then we are going to need as little interruption as possible."

"OK." Kara replied reluctantly. She caught Sam's eye before she left, she could tell the Colonel was worried… but not about herself.

**Atlantis**

"How long do we think it'll be before the Wraith launch their ships?" Vala stood in the control room of Atlantis alongside Daniel Jackson, anxious to know more about the situation.

"Your guess is as good as ours." Sheppard replied. "We know that they're powered up and ready, it's just a matter of time. The more we have, the better."

Daniel nodded. "Can't disagree with that…"

Vala sighed. She didn't like being in the dark. None of them did. "They could launch at any time, any time at all, and with those numbers there is no guarantee that we would beat them…"

"We'll be safe under the shield." Her best friend and ex-team mate tried to re0assure her. "For now at least."

Vala looked at him. "It's not just us though. Samantha and the others are still out there with the Colonials in the middle of the Galaxy, trying to get them back here, people who may not even want our help following… that incident..."

Daniel was silent, while his mind returned back to where it did not want to be. They had people out there. Some of which he cared about deeply. The most important thing he had learned during his time with SG-1 was to shut his mind off from thinking about his friends when they were in danger. Sometimes there was nothing you could do, and the best thing was to remember that they are the best and most capable humans around. If he worried, then he knew he'd probably go insane. Before Daniel could reply, some interesting news came through. "Colonel Sheppard, Dr. Jackson, the Odyssey and the Heracles have just dropped out of hyperspace. They're coming into orbit with the first Colonial ships." The two men looked at each other. Hopefully things were starting to come together.

**Battlestar Galactica**

The President and Admiral stood in the corner of the CIC, discussing the return to the fleet. "I still don't like this Bill. It's taking too long. What if the Earth ship can't protect the fleet?"

"They protected us the first time around; I think they'll be able to do it again." Adama replied. "We saw their capability. They can handle it."

"Their capability is a double edged sword Admiral. They may be able to provide protection, but if they turn against us, they could wipe us out. Right now the ball is in our court, because of their recklessness one of our ships was destroyed and we lost a number of people. That is the only thing we have against them right now, and we can't let anything compromise that…"

"With all due respect Laura, you're starting to sound like Tom Zarek…" The President looked at him for a moment, before bowing her head and contemplating what had been said. Was she really getting that bad? Had she changed that much? Before the two could continue, they were interrupted.

"Admiral? Admiral Adama!" The Admiral and President turned to see Kara Thrace running into the CIC. "It's Colonel Carter Sir… She's been shot by one of our soldiers."

The Admiral looked Roslin, a look of horror washing over her face. For a moment, he stood silent, pondering what to do, before finally coming to a decision. "Gaeta, Get in touch with Apollo and Thor. We're going back to Atlantis." Laura knew that they held no leverage over the people of Earth now. This was well and truly their game, and it was going to be their terms.

**Galactica Infirmary**

"We're losing her!"

"Not on my watch!" Doc Cottle intended to do everything possible to save his patient, but that had very little to do with who she was. He would do the same for anyone put out in front of him.

"She isn't reacting well to the anaesthetic Doctor; it may be too dangerous to operate…"

"No." Cottle replied. "We need to give her a chance to fight. We've got to try, and that is exactly what we're going to do."

**Atlantis**

Colonel Morgan stood, arms folded, in the centre of the Atlantis command centre. Although the Ancient Ship had flown, it was going to take longer than expected to get it battle ready. It would take a while for the Wraith to reach Atlantis, weeks at least, but the way Dr. McKay was talking she was unsure whether even that was enough time.

"Dr. McKay, we don't know when they'll attack. You seem to think it's going to take a long time to get this ship ready, so why are you standing here repeating yourself over and over again? Get a team ready, and get up there. My guys need help."

McKay stood and looked at Sheppard for backup, who stared him down. He turned back to Colonel Morgan. "I told you, I need to run some more tests before I can go up there."

"Well…" Daniel began "There is really no reason for you to be arguing this McKay… You know what's wrong with it, why do you need to run so many scans?"

Rodney pointed at John. "Have you not read the Sheppard's mission report from when he first encountered the Travellers? These ships can be dangerous! They can emit radiation and…"

"My people have been in that ship Dr. McKay, and they're all fine." Alex cut Rodney off before he could finish.

"Well Colonel, you may not be aware of this but radiation doesn't always affect you straight away and Ancient radiation…"

Chuck turned to the group, and Rodney was once again cut off mid sentence. "Colonels… The Asgard ship and the Galactica are dropping out of hyperspace…"

"What?" Sheppard asked, confused. "There's no way they've been to the Colonial fleet and back in this time. What are they doing?"

"They want to talk to you, sir."

The colour drained from John's face. Something else was wrong… "Put them through."

The room was silent as they waited anxiously to discover what was going on. Finally, a voice filled the room. "Colonel Sheppard? This is Admiral Adama. We need you up here now."

Sheppard, Alex, Daniel and McKay looked at each other. "Why is that Admiral?"

"Because Samantha Carter has been shot, and we need to know how you want to proceed…"


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Galactica's CIC**

"Ok, what the hell happened here?" Sheppard walked into the CIC accompanied by Daniel and Rodney. All eyes were suddenly on them, but they really didn't care.

"Colonel Sheppard, you need to understand…"

"We don't have to understand anything." The President was cut off before she could finish her sentence. "How the hell did this happen?"

**SGC**

Jack stood at the base of the ramp leading up to the Stargate, contemplating what had been discussed. The Wraith, Atlantis, Earth's fleet, and an unknown armada of ships at the edge of the Milky Way. All very important topics, but he couldn't sit by and talk all day. He had gotten the green light for the Colonials, and it was important that things were put into motion as soon as possible.

"Well Jack, it's always nice having you here, no matter how brief a visit it is." Landry walked up to his fellow General, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, it's certainly been… informative? Yeah, let's just go with that."

"Well Jack, at least you got out of it, I'm the lucky guy who gets to take your place!"

Jack smirked. "I feel sorry for George having to continue with the discussions, he's been in their all day… But I'm sure he'll do fine. He's always been good with the political stuff when it's come down to it."

"Chevron 8… locked!" Walter's voice came over the intercom as the Stargate activated, causing the dull concrete walls of the large room to turn a shimmering blue. Using the ZPM from the Antarctic Outpost for Gate travel wasn't normal practice, but it was necessary at a time like this.

Jack walked up the ramp towards the event horizon, anxious to return to Pegasus. "Good luck Jack." Landry stood at the bottom of the ramp, his hands in his pockets, smiling cheerfully.

O'Neill turned back for one last look at the SGC before stepping through the Gate, giving the thumbs up to Landry on his way through. He was looking forward to telling the Colonials the good news.

**Atlantis**

"It's amazing. I don't know how you do it."

Teyla smiled at Kanaan's compliment. She still wasn't entirely sure herself. Her son was two now yet he still couldn't talk, so he couldn't tell his mother and father what was wrong with him. It was simple guess work. "I suppose I am just lucky."

"Hmm… Shame not of that luck rubs off on me." The two Athosians grinned, almost laughing.

Teyla turned and looked at her son, sleeping silently. "I told Ronon and Teal'c I would meet them in the mess hall… Do you mind looking after Torren for a little while longer?"

"Of course." Kanaan was willing to do anything to help.

Teyla embraced her husband, grateful for what he was doing for both her and Torren. "Thank you; you don't know how much I appreciate having you here."

He smiled at her. "It's my pleasure."

Teyla went to get changed, but before she could a familiar sound alerted her and Kanaan to a presence outside. She walked towards the door, her husband watching from behind as it opened to reveal her two fellow warriors. "Ronon? Teal'c? What has happened?"

**Galactica**

"Hard day at work Gaius?" Caprica Six was pleased to see Baltar back after long hours in the lab, but she noticed the look on his face was one of annoyance.

"You could say that…" replied Baltar. "…Though irritating and poorly spent sum it up considerably better…"

Six looked at him, stroking the hair of her sleeping daughter gently as she spoke. "Oh? Why is that?"

"Well…" continued Gaius "I was told I would be meeting one of the Earth scientists in order to discuss upgrades to the fleet, but she never turned up. I was sitting there for literally hours waiting for her but she never arrived. I look forward to meeting her actually, I'd like to know why she thinks she has the right to just ignore the fact that she was supposed to attend such an important meeting with me."

Six stopped moving her hand and brought it away from Ellen's head, placing it on her lap. "You're referring to Colonel Samantha Carter?"

Gaius turned to Caprica. "Yes! That's her! The woman had the audacity not to show up, quite frankly I don't see…"

"Gaius…" Caprica cut off her fiancée before he could insult Sam anymore.

"Yes?"

"Samantha Carter was shot by a soldier in one of the corridors; I gather she was on the way to the meeting with you…"

The expression on Baltar's face changed as he realised the severity of the Colonel's absence dawned on him. "Oh… Oh my…" He sat down in a chair opposite Caprica and their daughter as she continued.

"She's been in the infirmary for hours, obviously it wasn't long before news spread and it's been the only thing reported on ever since… Apparently the soldier who attacked her had family onboard the ship that was destroyed after the hyperspace jump…" Baltar wanted to speak, but was unable to, thoughts of how this would affect relations with the humans running through his mind. "The worst part about all this…"

Gaius looked up at Six as she paused. "What?"

Once again she looked directly at him. "…His family wasn't even on the ship when it blew up…"

**Galactica's CIC**

Daniel was furious. And he wasn't the only one. Vala had wanted to come with him, but he convinced her not to, knowing that she probably wouldn't have been able to handle the situation quite as diplomatically as him. Now that he was here though, even he was finding it hard not to explode at the Colonials.

Rodney and John felt the same. They hadn't known Sam as long as Daniel, but they had known and worked with her long enough to care about her on a more personal level. "Why was she left alone on your ship after what happened?" Sheppard was the one asking questions. McKay and Daniel had agreed to let him before they arrived.

"Colonel Sheppard, we had no idea that any of our people would do this, we assumed she would be safe. You cannot hold all the Colonial people accountable for the actions of an individual." Roslin was trying to stress the fact that the Colonials were just like the humans, everyone was different. All the while, Kara stood back, watching the drama unfold in front of her. She found it hard not to get involved, but didn't want to make matters worse.

Rodney couldn't stay quiet anymore. "Like hell we can't. She was on your ship; you should have been looking after her."

"Exactly." Daniel continued. "You had a responsibility to her; we would have taken care of your people if the roles were reversed."

Adama stepped forward. "We're taking care of her now. We have doctors trying their best to make sure she survives. We made an error in judgement. For that, we're sorry. But right now, arguing over things we can't change isn't going to help her, and although I haven't known her long I think she would rather we looked at this objectively."

John, Daniel and Rodney stood, knowing the Admiral's words were true. They felt angry but Sam wouldn't want that to jeopardise the relationship between the Colonials and Earth, there was simply too much at stake when the bigger picture was taken into account. Suddenly, Felix Gaeta turned to face the group. "Admiral Adama, we're receiving word from Atlantis that General O'Neill has just returned from Earth… He wants to beam up here A.S.A.P."

Adama and Roslin looked at each other. This wasn't going to go well.

**Samantha Carter**

"I should be over there…" Apollo had been pacing back and forth for what seemed like ages. He turned to face Thor. "Is there nothing you can do?"

The small grey alien looked away from his console and towards Lee. "I'm afraid beaming Colonel Carter aboard this ship in her current condition could prove dangerous, at this point in time the best place for her is most likely with your doctors."

Apollo sighed. "You helped the President, why can't you help Sam?"

"The two situations are considerably different. I have managed to tap into your frequencies and listen to your news reports; apparently she is stable for the moment. Beaming her here could cause jeopardise that, and I am not even certain I could do more to help her at this point."

Lee looked out through the large viewing window at the front of the bridge, the Galactica eclipsing the sun at the centre of the system, the silhouette of the ship visible. He hoped deep down that whatever was happening on that ship, good could eventually come of it for both the Colonials and humans.

**Galactica's CIC**

With a flash of light that was becoming all too common for the Galactica crew, General O'Neill appeared in the CIC. Jack turned straight to his people. "How's she doing Colonel?"

Sheppard seemed quite surprised at how calm Jack was. "She's alright sir, we've just received word that she's in a stable condition."

"General…" Roslin began, but she was cut off.

"Don't even start!" O'Neill turned around, staring Laura down. "I don't want to hear it. I've told my people in Atlantis to contact Thor and to tell him to bring the next ships back here. The Admiral's son will be given the chance to remain here if he wants to. The Galactica will stay here, and people will begin to be transferred to Atlantis, to a part of the city away from any main systems. It's been made quite clear that we can't trust you yet."

Laura wasn't happy. "With all due respect Colonel it was made quite clear that we couldn't trust you and your people when one of our ships…"

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" O'Neill stopped her before she could finish. "We were trying to help your people, to get them to safety. Was that soldier trying to help Carter? 'Watch out, you've got a bug on your uniform, BANG'? You have no right to say what you just said."

Adama placed a hand on the president's shoulder. "Madame President, we can't leave those people out there forever. The General is right. We need to remain here and deal with this, but every second the fleet is out there it's at risk."

Laura turned back to the General, and after a brief moment spoke. "Fine. We'll remain here. But if anything happens to my people…"

"It won't."

**Galactica Infirmary**

Carter lay on the infirmary bed, anesthetised and unaware of the operation that had just taken place to remove a bullet from her and save her life. The room was quieter than it had been for a while, the curtain pulled around the bed to allow her to rest.

Although she wasn't conscious, thoughts ran through her head. Sam felt as though she was floating in darkness, with no sense of where she was. All of a sudden, a figure began to emerge from the darkness in front of her… a man.

She began to hear her name being whispered from a number of different places in the darkness. She focussed on the man again and finally recognised him as he came closer. "…Dad?"

Jacob smiled at her. "It's starting, Sam…" he raised his hand, and the darkness surrounding them both turned to light. Carter's eyes snapped open, and she found herself lying in the Galactica infirmary, shaking.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Atlantis**

"Hello Madam President. My name is Colonel Alex Morgan, this is Teyla Emmagan, Teal'c, and Ronon Dex, I believe you've already met them?"

The President took her eyes away from the astounding room she had just beamed into long enough to glance at the people behind the Colonel. "Yes… I have." Laura composed herself, turned and gestured to the people behind her. "This is Gaius Baltar, Sharon Agathon, and Samuel Anders. I believe Teal'c, Teyla and Ronon have already met Sharon?"

The three alien warriors stepped forward and greeted the President before moving on to greeting Athena, Anders and the Doctor. Sheppard, who had also accompanied the President down to Atlantis, shook hands with Alex. "Welcome back to Atlantis Sheppard."

"Thanks." John replied. "Good to be back."

"How's Colonel Carter?"

"Not bad, now." John replied. "McKay and Daniel were with her when I left. She should make a full recovery, and hopefully Thor can speed up the process when he gets back…"

Alex agreed. "Let's hope so. It's certainly nice to have him about. How is General O'Neill?"

"He's meeting with Admiral Adama about recent events. He seems to be dealing with matters well, but then that's what I'd expect from him when it comes down to it."

"I can't argue with that." Alex replied, before turning to the Colonial delegation. "Alright, if you'll all follow me we'll commence the tour of the city. This room is the Mess Hall which we're hoping to use to host a feast for you later this evening, and believe me when I say it's going to be quite a tour…"

**Galactica's Infirmary**

"Sam?" Daniel was the first to notice that his friend was coming around.

"…Daniel? What happened?" Sam asked, feeling slightly disorientated.

Daniel smiled, at one point he thought he wouldn't get to talk to her again. "You were shot. Dr. Cottle and his team managed to save you… We were really worried. You woke up over an hour ago, but before we could get here you fell back to sleep. I've been waiting for you to wake up."

"Hey!" McKay butted in from behind him. "You're not the only one! Sheppard was going to stay too but he got called back to Atlantis, the president just arrived down there."

Sam managed to muster a small grin. "It's nice to see you too, McKay."

"Daniel's right, we were worried about you…"

"But Their doctors say you should be alright now." Daniel continued. "So just focus on getting better. There are people on Atlantis who want to see you as soon as possible."

"Vala?"

The smile on Daniel's face grew. "How did you ever guess?"

**Battlestar Galactica**

O'Neill sat in a seat against the wall of Adama's quarters. The Colonials weren't exactly equipped with spaces appropriate for different sorts of meetings and discussions, and Adama had come to find his quarters was one of the best areas on short notice when there was no where else available. With recent developments, and the Quorum and the press so busy speculating and twisting things, this was one of those times.

Adama walked over to O'Neill with a glass in one hand, and a bottle of the some of the finest Ambrosia left in the universe in the other. "I'm sorry about everything that's happened here General." He handed Jack a glass as he spoke. "What happened was totally unforgivable. Colonel Carter's attacker has already been taken to the brig, and believe me he won't be getting out for a very long time."

"Good." O'Neil replied, before taking a sip from the cup. "But right now I don't want to talk about that… issue."

Adama stared up from his own glass to look at the General. "Because you don't think it needs discussing?"

"No. Because if I do I think I might end up getting pretty pissed off again. And right now, that isn't what we need."

The Admiral decided it was probably best not to press on with the matter. "Then what is it you want to discuss?"

"Well, the IOA are looking at your stay in Atlantis as temporary… Very temporary. Once the threat of the Wraith is dealt with, they want you to start looking at a plan of action, what you want to do. As you know, your people won't be allowed on Earth yet. However, they may be willing to permit a delegation to Earth in order for you to see it, and to show you that we are the real deal."

"I don't doubt you." Adama retorted.

"That may be, but you can't tell me all of the people in positions of power can be as certain as you?"

"General, I'm usually the last person to accept something as truth right away. I don't know why but, I fully believe you and your people are who you say you are. There are those who've expressed doubt, you're certainly correct in that respect. They'll come around. I don't want to compromise the politics of Earth, if there's the smallest chance that we could be a danger to your disclosure plans than I don't think we should go through with a visit."

Jack sighed. "Believe me, they're going to find out sooner or later. There are plans in place to reveal everything to the public, but we're not planning on using them for at least a few months. We're not quite ready yet. But trust me, that shouldn't stop the visit. We've gotten good at stuff like this, you know."

"I'm sure you have."

"Either way, whether you choose to come or not, we've already devised a possible plan for you. My people at the SGC have put a list together of inhabitable planets that are close to Earth. They don't have Stargates yet and are off the grid, so you shouldn't be bothered by anyone. They also have enough resources for you to become self-sufficient, and when the time comes for your civilisation to take a place on the Galactic stage I'm sure those resources will come in useful. We can help you get set up. It'll be one of the biggest operations we've ever undertaken, but I'm sure it'll be worth it."

"Thank you General. I can't express my gratitude enough." Although the Admiral didn't let it show, his facial expression remaining the same as it had done throughout most of the conversation, O'Neill knew the man was sincere.

"I wanted you to know all of this before negotiations start down on Atlantis. You can tell Roslin when you see her, but you might want to keep it quiet from your Quorum and… what's he called? Zarek?"

"Don't worry General." Adama replied. "I have no intention of telling them."

**Atlantis**

"This place is amazing…" Sam Anders expressed his awe at the Ancient city, it was like nothing the Cylon had ever seen. Colonel Morgan had taken the group to one of the many balconies that overlooked the main cluster at the centre of the city, to give the guests a true idea of how impressive the Ancients were.

"And you said this city _flies_?" asked Gaius, rather confused at the prospect.

"That's right doctor." Replied Sheppard.

"Well, my apologies if I don't accept that as actually being possible." The man, undoubtedly the Colonial's greatest remaining mind, was starting to grate on the Colonel's nerves. He had been asking irritating questions since the tour had started.

John could understand that the city would be… surprising to people, to say the least, but the arrogant and smug way Gaius Baltar expressed his opinion, even though he was totally wrong, was annoying. Right now in fact, Sheppard felt like punching the man in the face. But that wouldn't send a very good message to the Colonials… or would it? "Look doctor, Rodney McKay or Colonel Carter could explain this much better than I could, and if you wait a little longer I'm sure you'll get a chance to talk to them. For now, can we just keep questions to until the end of the tour?"

Sheppard took Baltar's exasperated expression and the following silence to be a 'yes'. John walked up to the railings of the balcony and took in the view like the others.

"Don't worry." John turned to look at Anders standing beside him. "He's always like that."

Sheppard cracked a smile. "I'd never have guessed." There was silence for a moment as the two men took in the view, before the Colonel turned back to Anders. "So… In the preliminary information documents we got from Galactica it was mentioned that you're a Cylon…"

"Yeah…" Anders replied after a few seconds, over the chatter of the other Colonials, humans and... apparently aliens on the other side of him. "I didn't know at first… I've come to accept that side of me, but I've never let it get the better of me. When Lee Adama was President he granted me and three other Cylons amnesty. One of them chose to go and live on the damaged Cylon Basestar."

"Really?"

"She's a traitor." Sam replied.

"…So you still consider yourself Colonial?"

Sam paused for a moment and stared out at the city. "…I consider myself tied to the Colonials in a way that, quite frankly, I find hard to explain. I'd never betray them. I'm a Cylon, I accept that… That doesn't mean I want to be one though."

John turned and looked out at the glistening skyscrapers of Atlantis, just as Anders was doing. He respected him, he seemed extremely loyal, to people who weren't even his own. "You know, we should all come back up here at sunset with some beers. That dinner's supposed to be more of a political thing. Big, boring… A bunch of people basically having a 'mine's bigger than yours' contest and trying to get leverage over the other side. Not really a place for soldiers and warriors." Sam smirked. "You got that right."

Colonel Morgan turned and addressed the group, drawing the attention of John, Sam and the others. "Now, let's move on to the infirmary, it's just down the hall. I expect the facilities will be useful to you and your Doctors."

Alex walked back into the hallways, with Roslin and Baltar by her side. The warriors followed.

**SGC**

Hank Landry stood looking at a screen in the control of the SGC. On it, the image of Colonel William Bolton appeared. "Colonel, good to hear from you." Hank allowed a friendly smile as he greeted the commander of Earth's new flagship, the Dauntless. "I'm impressed. We knew your people we're trying to get the ship out as soon as possible, but this is very impressive."

Bolton chuckled. "They certainly did work their assess off. But, when were back in the green and we've got some other ships back in the Galaxy I think we're gonna need a few more weeks to get her totally up and running."

"We expected that Colonel. Now, I'm sure you're very anxious to start your patrol…" Landry notice the look on the Colonels face, and he could help but smirk a little. "…But first we've got a mission for you."

This piqued Bolton's interest. The prospect of searching the outer rims of the solar system for cloaked ships had not exactly filled him with joy. "And what would that be General?"

"The colonials provided us with information regarding their old Colonies during preliminary meetings. We want you and your crew to check them out."

Now that was more like it. "Sounds very interesting. Just one thing though, I thought you said the Cylons invaded their Colonies? Are you sure we want to risk start a war with these… people?"

"According to the Colonials, the Cylons chose to leave the Colonies and they no longer inhabit them. You shouldn't have any trouble."

The Colonel chuckled. "Don't worry General. I was more worried about their wellbeing than ours."

**Daedalus**

Caldwell's least favourite part of the job was just sitting around in space, waiting for something to happen. The vast majority of the time, nothing happened and he felt his time had been wasted. This time however, it was different. The Colonials were counting on him and the Daedalus to protect them considering Galactica couldn't.

"Sir…"

Caldwell turned to the man sitting at one of the command consoles of the Daedalus. "What is it Major?"

"There's a ship dropping out of hyperspace… It's the Asgard."

Karl Agathon watched from the front view screen as the green tendrils of the hyperspace window reached out into space, before the large alien ship dropped back into real space and the window shut down.

"Open a channel." Caldwell ordered. One of the bridge crew nodded at the Colonel once he had done as he had ordered. Caldwell nodded back in response, before turning to look at the Asgard ship out of the view screen. "Thor?"

"Colonel Caldwell, I apologize that we have taken longer than expected."

Karl turned to Caldwell. "Where's the Galactica?"

"I was wondering that. Thor, what's going on?"

Agathon turned to Caldwell. "I'd prefer to hear it from one of my own people."

Within seconds, Apollo's voice came over the intercom. "The Galactica stayed at Atlantis. There's been a change of plan, but it means proceedings on their end have been able to start early."

"Good enough for me." Caldwell said, but Karl didn't say anything, turning and staring at the ship once again. "So what happened Thor?"

"There have been a number of problems. We are now going to attempt a different way of taking the Colonial ships back to Atlantis. It should be faster, and safer."

"Safer?" Steven didn't like the sound of that. The 'problems' Thor spoke of could be worse than expected.

**Galactica's Infirmary**

"Can I come in?" Kara stood in the door of Galactica's infirmary. Usually she would have just walked straight over to the person she had come to see, but this time, after all that had happened; even she decided it would be better to ask first.

"Sure." replied Sam. "Pull up a seat." Kara grabbed one of the chair from near the infirmary bed and dragged it closer, sitting near the woman from Earth. "I've been meaning to thank you for what you did. If it wasn't for you that guy definitely would have killed me."

"Think nothing of it." Kara replied. "I kind of needed to make it up to you anyway, after what happened on the planet and in the brig…"

"I'd already forgiven you for that." Kara looked at Sam, a little shocked. "I know what you and the rest of the Colonials have been through. And believe me; no one wants to see your people find a new home more than me. It's the least you guys deserve after what the Cylons did to you. I'm just happy you were here when that soldier attacked me. I thought you were supposed to remain behind on the Daedalus with Lieutenant Agathon."

"Change of plan. I really didn't want to leave the Galactica. Karl said he could handle things on his own, and the Admiral let me return before they jumped to hyperspace. I thought I would be more useful back here than I would on the Daedalus." Kara allowed herself a slight grin. "I guess I was right."

Sam returned the smile. "I guess you were."

**Dauntless**

Colonel William Bolton sat in the Captain's chair of the Dauntless, watching as the image of General Landry disappeared from the front window which doubled as a screen for communications such as the one he had just seconds before been a part of.

"Alright people, you heard the man, change of plans."

Major Gibson, once a member of the SGC herself, turned to the Captain. "Sir, we are receiving information from Stargate Command. The package includes the exact locations of the Colonies."

"Thank you Major." Bolton had been briefed on the Colonials, and he was very interested in seeing where they came from, as well as getting a first hand look at the destructive force of the Cylons. He turned back to Major Gibson. "Set a course for Caprica, and make the jump to hyperspace."


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Heracles**

Rodney had left Sam in good spirits. If she hadn't woken up, he doubted he would ever have gotten over to the Heracles. Not that he minded. After all, he would much rather sit with her than risk radiation poisoning.

But he had work to do. The Wraith were coming for Atlantis. With the Earth ships, the Asgard ships, and the Heracles, they actually stood a chance. The expedition had never faced an enemy in such numbers, but they always pulled through… or at least they did most of the time.

"Dr. McKay?"

"Yes?" Rodney replied, not looking up from the console he was working on.

"We've found another problem…" The young female scientist was worried about being the bringer of bad news. She had been on McKay's team since they arrived on Atlantis, and she knew exactly how he was with people who brought him bad news. "…We are having problems making the drone chair operational…"

Rodney finally looked up at his team member. "Don't you think I look a little busy right now? I mean for god sakes the Drone chair is going to be the least of our worries if the shields fail in the middle of the battle! Your all supposed to be competent scientists and you've been working with Ancient technology for years, fix it!"

"The thing is Dr. McKay…" The scientist tried her best not to tremble. "…We don't know whether it's fixable or not… We could fire them from the bridge, but the firing rate and accuracy could end up being greatly diminished if we do that."

Rodney stood up, and the young woman did all she could not throw her arms over her head in terror. "For god's sake! I don't know why the SGC even bothered sending you people! This is going to take longer than I thought! I can't believe I'm saying this, but… get Zelenka up here!"

**Atlantis**

"And this…" Alex Morgan stepped into the Gate room from one of the corridors on the ground floor "…Is the Command centre."

The Colonials walked into the centre of the room, taking it all in and looking thoroughly impressed.

Roslin walked up to the Stargate, the marines either side of the room looked tense. "This is the Stargate?" She asked, before running a hand down the side of the large ring shaped device.

"Yes, it is." Colonel Morgan walked up behind Roslin. "It allows us to travel to countless worlds. Pretty damn useful, if I do say so myself."

"We had one of these…" Roslin spoke with surprise obvious in her voice. "It was in the Delphi Museum of the Colonies… We had absolutely no idea what it was…"

"It must be hard to imagine how different things would have been for your race had you figured it out…"

"Yes…" Roslin replied, but didn't take her eyes off the Stargate. "This device could have totally changed our fortunes…"

Alex stepped closer to Roslin. "You know madam President, what's done is done. We can't change the past… But hopefully this is the start of your future." She placed a hand on the older woman's shoulder. "We're going to help you. You've survived for so long against incredible odds… You're people are going to make it."

Alex didn't see it, but Laura smiled, possibly the most sincere smile in years. The Colonel was right. The Colonial survivors had truly defied the odds. And they weren't about to give up now.

**Caprica**

Mere hours after leaving orbit of Earth, the new Tau'ri flagship dropped out of hyperspace near the world that was once the most prosperous of the Twelve Colonies.

"Sir, we're here."

William Bolton stood from his captain's chair and walked closer to the view screen at the front of the bridge. The signs of the genocidal attack of the Cylons were still plainly evident. He stood for a moment, staring at the devastation the robotic race had caused. Wreckage from ruined Battlestars remained in orbit, even years after the attack, but it was the brown hue of the planet that truly told of the atrocity that had occurred.

The Colonel turned and walked back to his chair, addressing his bridge crew as he did so. "OK, we've got twelve planets to explore; we're looking for any intact ships or possible survivors." His stare returned to the broken planet below. "Let's get started."

**Galactica's CIC**

O'Neill and Adama stood in the CIC, President Roslin and the first delegation had been down in Atlantis for a while now and the Admiral was preparing to see the city for himself. "Colonel Tigh will be in charge of the ship for the next few days while I'm on Atlantis. I've told him to expect to be in command for an undetermined length of time."

O'Neill turned to the Admiral. "Good idea. You know what politically-fuelled banquets and negotiations are like… The Wraith will probably destroy us before we're even half done."

Bill smirked. He knew exactly what the man was talking about. He didn't enjoy things like this, but they had to be done for the good of both parties involved. "The second delegation will consist of myself, Tom Zarek, Kara Thrace, and, with your permission, a member of the press."

"No." O'Neill replied without hesitation. "Your group is going to be given a shorter version of the tour the President received, and I don't want the Press around Atlantis yet. A team of your reporters will be invited to the Dinner tonight, but that's it."

The Admiral turned and looked at the DRADIS screen, icons representing Colonial ships shown alongside Earth vessels. "Thank you."

O'Neill shot the Admiral a strange look. "Thank you?"

"You don't think I actually wanted reporters wandering around with me did you? At least if it comes from you General, they might actually listen."

"Oh." Jack smiled. "I guess we're on the same page then."

"General, Lee has also requested to come down to Atlantis when his duties aboard Thor's ship are complete."

"That's fine. Just tell Colonel Tigh to contact Atlantis and let them know when he's ready. And Admiral?"

Adama turned his head away from the DRADIS console and looked at O'Neill again. "Yes?"

"Call me Jack."

**Samantha Carter**

Commander Thor had been in similar situations before, but never quite like this. He had helped numerous races before, but the Colonial's situation was different. The way they had been attacked, how few of them had survived… And the fact that now the other Asgard wanted to cooperate with the things that had destroyed these people's homeworlds, for their own benefit… He admitted that when Colonel Carter had discovered that his people's minds were stored in the Asgard Core given to the Tau'ri, and gone on to design holographic bodies for them, it was not a fantastic solution. He had been extremely grateful, but the thought of living as a hologram forever was not appealing to him. However, he was still unsure of whether working with the Cylons was a good idea. The Council had already made up its mind, it was going to happen. That didn't mean he had to be happy about it though.

One of the consoles in front of him made a low beeping sound, bringing him back to the present. He turned and addressed Apollo. "We are dropping out of hyperspace again Major Adama. I suggest you go down to the hangar and prepare your people for transport back to their ships."

"Sure." Lee replied. "What are you going to do?"

"I am going to contact the Galactica to see if it is possible to have Colonel Carter transferred here before we leave for the next set of Colonial Vessels. If her condition has improved, I may be able to heal her fully."

Thor knew that it was possible to save the Colonials, and that one day, with help, they could be a true civilization once again. He just prayed that the Tau'ri were ready to handle something like this. They had helped his people, many times. The task ahead of them however, was formidable.

**Heracles**

McKay had been working on the Heracles for hours, but every time he fixed a problem it seemed another two came up. 'Calm down Rodney, you're starting to get frustrated' he told himself. The other scientists would beg to differ. He'd been frustrated ever since he stepped foot on the Ancient ship.

Radek Zelenka had joined him about half way through his shift. He didn't like asking Radek for help, but sometimes it was neccesary... Just to get the job done a little bit faster.

"Rodney, the power output from the ZPM is lower than it should be."

Rodney sighed. "Yes, I know that. I've known that since I came aboard, it's understandable. The thing hasn't been used in thousands of years."

"Yes that is true, however that shouldn't be causing readings like this." He picked up his tablet and hurried over to his friend, showing him the readings.

"Hmm..." McKay studied the readings quickly.

"Now we know that most Auroras stopped carrying ZPMs when the Wraith began to steal them in attacks, however, this ship did carry one, for some reason. I believe this could be the cause of a number of the problems onboard."

McKay looked out into space with a slight look of annoyance on his face. Though he comended |Radek for the good work, 'why didn't I think of that?' was all that ran through his head.

"Even though the Ancients stopped using ZPMs on their ships, they did not stop constructing interfaces when they built them. There seems to be something wrong with the interface on this ship, and if we fix it, then the systems causing trouble should be powered normally again."

Rodney looked at his colleague for a moment, before placing a hand on his shoulder. "Well Radek, I see you've got things under control here… for the moment." He stood up and walked over to another console, preparing to beam back to Atlantis. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to get ready for a pretty important dinner. Have fun now!" With that, McKay disappeared in a flash of light, and Zelenka was left alone on the bridge, not having time to utter a word before the other scientist was gone.

**Allied Baseship**

D'Anna Biers and Tory Foster walked side by side through the baseship hallways, coming to a stop outside the door to the control room. D'Anna looked at the other Cylon, one of the final five. "Remember what we talked about."

The two women turned and walked in, to be met by a Two, a Six and an Eight. The Six, a variation of the model with long, golden hair and a dark dress stepped forward. "What is the situation?"

"Not much has changed." D'Anna replied. "A Colonial delegation travelled down to the city, and the alien ship towed more of their ships back here."

"Are these the same aliens who wish to study our technology for their own benefit?" Asked the Eight.

Tory turned to her fellow Cylon. "We aren't sure yet. Though it seems likely."

"Collaboration with them is our best option." Said the Leoben, a model that preferred to be known by his 'name' rather than his designation.

"And why is that, dear brother?" Asked D'Anna. "It is our right to be on Earth. From what I understand, these aliens would deny us that right."

"And from what I understand..." Leoben shot back "...the General made it abundantly clear that he, and the people of Earth, don't want us there either." The Three couldn't reply. She knew he was right. "We will reach Earth, but now is not the time. We have no way to get there ourselves. We are very far from home. And for all we know, Cavill and his group have killed all of our brothers and sisters by now. As I said, collaboration with the aliens is our best option."

"There are always other options." The Six replied. "And believe me, when we get back to the Milky Way Galaxy, those options will prove useful." The other Cylons looked at the Six. D'Anna had noticed there was something strange about this Six since before they had travelled through the wormhole. Now, she had risen up through the ranks and become the dominant Cylon of her model, and she was close to becoming the leader of the baseship. The Three didn't like it. She thought to herself that, when they returned to their own Galaxy, and when she finally discovered what was different about this Six, she would have to make a point of snapping her neck.

**Atlantis Mess Hall**

The dinner started without a hitch. There were a number of important figures in attendance from either side, most notably General O'Neill for Earth, With President Roslin and Admiral Adama being the main representatives for the Colonials. Tom Zarek was also attending expecting to be an important figure, but the General had walked straight past him with nothing more than a handshake and gone to meet the President and Admiral. Nothing was going right for him. He couldn't use the destruction of the Colonial ship against the humans now, considering the person he intended to hold responsible had been shot in the chest by a Colonial marine. That had seriously pissed him off. Now it was left to Roslin to broker the alliance between the two sides, and he couldn't get his say in.

Laura warmly took the general's hand with a smile. She had also intended to use the destruction of the ship, but to nowhere near the extent Zarek had. She wasn't as corrupt as he was, and she hoped she never would be. O'Neill returned the smile, and the two faced the cameras of Colonial journalists who had been invited to the event. They began making small talk, before taking their seats at the largest table in the centre of the messhall, the President sitting with the Admiral on one side, and the General on the other.

Zarek sat near the Admiral. He thought he should be the one sitting at the Presidents side, but apparently she disagreed. Dr. Baltar and Teyla Emmagan also sat at the table, amongst others including Colonel Alex Morgan who'd barely had time to get ready after showing the Colonials around the City.

There were other tables set out around the room, at one of which sat Dr. McKay, Teyla Emmagan and Kara Thrace. Teyla was due to meet with the President later on in the meal as a representative of both the Athosians and the people of Pegasus. McKay, meanwhile, was told he would be meeting with the Colonial's greatest remaining mind. Kara on the other hand didn't even know why she was there.

All three stood as General O'Neill toasted the Colonials, and initiated the dinner. "Here's to a long and lasting alliance between our two people." McKay knew that the General was still angry about what had happened to Sam, but he didn't let that show at all.

Ronon Dex walked into the large room, sitting at the table next to Teyla. His arrival went unnoticed by the other attendees, that table being closest to the door. His friend looked at him. "Why are you here? I thought you didn't want to come?"

Ronon smirked. "I didn't, this thing looks boring. I came to see if you guys wanted to come join me and Sheppard on the balcony."

"No." Teyla sighed. "I would like to, but I have duties here."

"Me too." McKay agreed. "I've got a fellow scientist to meet."

Kara looked between McKay and Teyla, before looking back to Ronon. "I'll come."

**Atlantis Balcony**

While the Banquet was taking place in the mess hall, a separate group had formed and decided to do something slightly different. John sat on the balcony against the wall, beer in hand. Near him sat Sam Anders and Sharon Agathon, also equipped with the frosty beverages. Some people may have thought a formal dinner was the best way to properly meet their new allies. Sheppard disagreed.

Athena looked out over the shimmering city, it looked even better at night. "This place is amazing Colonel."

Anders agreed. "The people who built this must have been something special."

John grimaced. The Ancients were like a double edged sword. On the one hand they were the most advanced and intelligent race known to have lived, and on the other hand they left a lot of problems behind, and rarely agreed to help humans clean it up. "They were certainly... something..."

"You said some of them were still around. Have you ever met any of them?" Athena asked, realising the information could be classified, and surprised when she got an answer.

"I have. A few, actually. Though Daniel Jackson's the guy you want to talk to about meeting the Ancients."

Anders took a sip of his beer. "Must have been strange for you to meet them." John couldn't disagree. Before he could speak, the door into the hallway opened. Ronon and Kara stepped out with smiles on their faces.

"Did they notice you leaving?" Sheppard asked, hoping they wouldn't be forced to go back to the messhall.

"Nope." Kara replied, the smile still on her face. The two sat down, Ronon next to John, and Starbuck next to her husband. "We think the General saw us, but he didn't stop us or say anything to the others."

John grinned. That sounded about right. No doubt the General wished he could be here too. For someone with his responsibility though, that would no doubt be looked down upon. At least worse than it would be in Sheppard's or Ronon's cases. John handed a beer to Ronon, and then one to Starbuck. "Enjoy it. Tomorrow negotiations start… I'm going to be sitting in the conference room for days." He pointed his finger, switching between Kara and Anders. "You guys are lucky, you get to go and see the sparring facilities with Ronon here and Teal'c. Me, Teyla and Athena have no such luck."

Kara laughed, she couldn't help it. "Aww, sorry guys. Have fun!" She looked over at Ronon, and then to her husband. "I know I will."

**Caprica**

The crew of the Dauntless had been working for hours. They had completed scans on the Colonials planets, and were determining their next course of action. They had found groups of survivors on Caprica, but nowhere else. Caprica was the planet that had been left most intact, but even it had only a few hundred survivors remaining. At least it was something, and Colonel Bolton was sure that President Roslin and Admiral Adama would be very happy to hear that there were more survivors.

However, his crew had found something that he was sure would be more important to Earths governments... A Battlestar, which had survived the battle intact and been left to float through space. There were no life signs, but it was salvageable. The IOA had made it clear on behalf of the world's governments, everywhere from the USA to China, that any ships found would be brought back to Earth. They would be refitted, and then either kept or used to trade with the Colonials. Bolton was on the fence. He didn't know whether this was a good or bad thing.

He did, however, appreciate the ship. The first Battlestar he had seen. It was slightly bigger than his ship, and the design, although more Earth like than any other ships he had encountered, was something truly unique. It was beautiful, at least in his opinion. He knew it had split the crew, some agreeing with him, others disagreeing. However, it looked like a truly proud ship, even with the marks of battle. He read the name along the side of the ship, and knew the crew would have died fighting valiantly to their last breath. The Battlestar Ares.

**Sheppard's Quarters**

John lay asleep in his bed, he had been on the balcony with the others for much longer than he had expected to be. Ronon had been tasked with getting him back to his room, while Athena found herself making sure Kara and Anders found theirs OK in their state. The City had seemed empty, the dinner had finished long before.

The sound of someone outside woke him, and he decided to see who it was. The room was darker than usual, and John was surprised how steady he was on his feet, considering the session he'd had with his friends, old and new, not so long ago. He reached the door, and swiped his hand across the crystals. There was no one there. He stuck his head out the door, wary of stepping out in his current state of dress. He looked both ways down the hall, and saw no one.

He turned, prepared to go back to bed and noticed a figure in the corner. "Lights..." he said, quietly, causing the room to become considerably brighter. His eyes adjusted, and he was shocked by the sight that met him. "Elizabeth..."

Weir smiled. "They're coming, John. But not for you..." She slowly walked towards him, raising her hand and placing it on his shoulder. The light in the room grew more intense, and all of a sudden Sheppard found himself sitting up in his bed, out of breath and sweating in the darkness.

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Sorry it took a while to get this chapter done. I'm moving 300 miles away from home next week to go to university, so the next one will probably take even longer. I have every intention of continuing this story though!

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Had to make a slight change to this chapter. New one shouldn't be long now.


	16. Chapter 15: Negotiations

**Chapter 15**

**Samantha Carter**

The Samantha Carter, flagship of Thor, dropped out of hyperspace once again above Atlantis, and with it came the final batch of Colonial ships. The old and tired vessels broke away from the Samantha Carter and joined their fleet, in orbit over New Lantea. The people onboard knew that on the planet below, in just a few hours, their President would be negotiating to secure them a better future.

As the Colonial fleet once again joined in orbit, another hyperspace window opened, and the Daedalus dropped back into real space alongside the Asgard ship.

On the bridge, Caldwell turned to his Colonial visitor. "Lieutenant Agathon, I take it you would like to go down to the planet to see your wife?"

Karl turned to face the Colonel. "Very much so, Sir."

"I'll see what I can do. Major, open a channel to Atlantis."

**Atlantis Conference Room One**

Conference Room One, the largest of the two conference rooms in the city, was being prepared for what would be one of the most important events to take place there for thousands of years. Representatives for the Colonials, humans, Cylons and the people of Pegasus would all take part, it was to be a truly momentous occasion.

On one side sat Teyla, who had arrived earlier than the others to help with preparations. Carter had joined her soon afterwards. "Colonel Carter! It is good to see that you are well."

Sam smiled. "Thanks Teyla. That's what a good trip to Asgard ER will do for you, I guess."

"Have you seen Dr. Jackson and Vala since you returned? I know they were both worried about you, as we all were..."

"I saw Daniel on the Galactica before I went with the Asgard, and I saw Vala this morning. I couldn't find the General though."

"Well, I'm sure he'll be here soon." Teyla knew that Sam and the General were very close, as were all of the old SG-1 team.

"Hey." The two women turned to see John Sheppard entering the conference room.

Teyla walked over to greet her friend. "John, good morning..." She paused for a moment as she looked at him. "You do not look well... Is there something wrong?"

"Just... Didn't get much sleep last night. I had a pretty weird dream."

Sam looked at John. "A dream?"

"Yeah... I couldn't get back to sleep afterwards. I didn't feel tired at all, it was weird."

Carter walked towards the doors of the conference room. "John, can I speak to you for a moment outside?"

Sheppard and Teyla looked confused. "Uh... Sure?" He walked outside with Sam, to the balcony overlooking the gate room. "What's this about, Colonel?"

"I need to know what your dream was about, what was it like?"

John turned to his superior officer. "To be honest I don't really feel comfortable talking about it, so unless..."

"John, please." He looked at Sam, he knew she was serious, he could see it in her eyes.

"...I saw Elizabeth. She told me that 'they' were coming, but not for me. Then she raised her hand, placed it on my shoulder, and everything turned... white." Sam digested the information, before turning and looking out over at the Gate, but John wasn't prepared to finish the conversation yet. "Why is this so important?"

Carter sighed. "I had a similar dream on the Galactica after I was shot. Only it was my father instead of Dr. Weir. I don't know, I..." She turned to John. "I just don't think this is a coincidence. My dream was very similar, and I felt the same as you did afterwards."

John could see that this was hard for Sam. He could relate. He placed a hand on her shoulder in a sign of comfort and friendship. He respected her greatly, and from what he could tell the feeling was mutual.

"Colonels?" Carter and Sheppard turned to see Jack and Daniel standing behind them. "Are we going to go and sit down? The Colonials are due any minute now."

"It's good to see you guys." Sam replied, before walking over and hugging her friends.

"You too." Replied the General. "We better get inside."

"OK, we're right behind you." Daniel and Jack turned, walking into Conference Room One. John walked up beside Sam again.

"We can talk about this later, if you want?"

Sam looked at him. "I don't know... I don't get what this can mean. It could just be our imaginations for all we know. I think we should just try and forget about it, for now at least." She turned and walked into the Conference Room, leaving John wondering if what he had seen the night before was just a dream.

**Atlantis Gym**

Ronon Dex walked into the room that had been designated a gym by the Expedition members, followed by Kara Thrace and Sam Anders. Originally, the city gym had been in a smaller room that was used mostly for sparring, but as the population of the city grew over the years it was decided that better recreational facilities would be set up. Among these facilities was a gym that was worthy of the name, and the inhabitants found it very useful. Today, a visit to it was to be one of the numerous activities to make the Colonials feel more welcome.

In front of the group stood Teal'c, who bowed his head as they entered. Kara hadn't gotten why the man did that, but she had heard about him not being from Earth. The Colonials still hadn't been told much about the Milky Way and it's history, even though it was there native galaxy, but Kara had heard about how Teal'c and his people had been oppressed. She had a lot of questions, but for now they could wait.

Ronan turned to the Colonials, Kara first. "Pick your partner."

"What?"

Ronon smirked. "We're gonna spar. Pick a partner. Me or Teal'c."

"OK..." She looked between the two men, and a smile crossed her lips. This was going to be a tough choice. After a few moments... "Teal'c."

The Jaffa bowed his head again, and Ronon looked at Starbuck once again. "Don't think you can take me?"

The smile on her face grew wider. "Of course I can. I just don't think Sammy-boy can take Teal'c."

**Atlantis Conference Room One**

The occasion was a momentous one. It wasn't the first time that these parties had met since meeting with each other, but this is where the alliance between the two people would be forged. This is where the Colonials would find out if they had any sort of meaningful future. It was an important time for the people of Earth too, but for those who had fled from the Twelve Colonies a number of years before, this was their final chance.

And boy, did Laura Roslin know it. She intended to come away from the negotiations with hope for her people, and she wasn't willing to stand down until she got at least that. Ever since the first nuke hit the Colonies, Earth was the only thing that kept the survivors going. Now they had discovered that they wouldn't be able to relocate to Earth, at least not at this time, but that they would be taken to another planet. Some had been outraged, others had been grateful for whatever they could get. It wasn't going to be a repeat of New Caprica; Roslin would make sure of that. With the help of the people of Earth and the Asgard, they could prosper once again. However, their new 'friends' could also use it as an opportunity to take advantage of them. This was the day to ensure that didn't happen, and that her people could remain independent.

It hadn't taken Laura long to decide who he fellow representatives would be. Admiral Adama sat to her left, the military representative for the Colonials, while Gaius Baltar sat to her right, a scientific mind being required. She hadn't been sure about bringing Gaius down to the negotiations, but it was still infinitely better than bringing Zarek, and she thanked the gods for the look on his face when she informed him that he wouldn't be in attendance. A look she would treasure for the remainder of her days. She smiled as she thought of the reprieves she had already had. If things continued the way they were going, she could enjoy that memory for a long time.

To the right of Baltar, at the end of the conference table, sat Athena Agathon and Caprica Six, the only regular Cylon models trusted enough to represent their own people in the City of Atlantis, and both residents of the Galactica. The Cylon allies aboard the Basestar had not been happy with that, but as Adama himself had told them, they had no choice. Athena and Caprica could speak on their behalf, while not being deemed as high a security risk to the City. Meanwhile, General O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, Colonel Carter and Colonel Sheppard represented Earth, with Teyla Emmagan representing the people of the Galaxy that the Colonials had been inhabiting for the past year.

Laura realised that the Expedition members had tried their best to create a relaxed atmosphere for the negotiations. The tour and what could only be described as the feast the day before had both been pleasant and welcome, but this wasn't a time to be laid back. She was negotiating the future of her people, the terms and conditions that would govern them for years to come. That couldn't be taken lightly. Finally the noise of murmurs and final preparation between the separate parties died down, and there was quiet in the room. "Can we get started?" Laura asked, an open question to those sitting opposite her.

General O'Neill wagged a finger in her direction. "Not yet. We're still waiting for one last party to join us." The Colonials looked around, baffled by the lack of empty seats. "Wait for it..."

The room fell silent again for a moment, before being illuminated by a flash of white light. Thor appeared in front of the group, in his own chair. "Greetings to all, on behalf of the Asgard High Council."

O'Neill smirked, looking at the faces of his visitors. Although some of them had already seen the Asgard and their technology, they all still had a look of shock on their faces. "Now, that is interesting..." Caprica Six tilted her head slightly, looking at the small, grey alien. Her gaze soon turned to her lover, whose eyes and mouth were both very wide.

Thor turned to President Roslin, addressing her directly. "Hello President Roslin. I trust you are well?"

Laura smiled a warm smile. "I am Commander Thor, thank you for your concern." She turned to Baltar, who was staring; his jaw was still close to touching the table. He looked away long enough to notice the look others were giving him, before coughing and straightening his tie, trying to make it look like he was interested in anything but the naked alien sitting in the funny chair.

**Unknown Wraith Facility**

Todd sat in his private quarters, looking out as the last of the Hive Ships came online. Tonight, the ships would launch. He had no doubt that the Expedition already knew of his new fleet, but they did not have the numbers to fight such an overwhelming force. It had been the same with the Ancients.

He felt a sense of sadness for the Expedition members who had tried to help the Wraith; he had to admit that he had at least a sense of respect for them. Colonel Sheppard had helped escape from Genii captivity. Teyla had helped him when he was first taking power. Doctors Keller and Beckett had attempted to devise a way to allow his Wraith to feed on 'normal' food. This was history now though. Their plans had not worked; their understanding had not withstood the test of time. He was Wraith. They were human. The only lasting relationship he could truly maintain with them involved the food chain.

He looked out as the final Hive powered up, leaving the moonlit dunes and rising to the skies above. As much as he enjoyed reminiscing, and thinking of the times- and meals- to come, his scout ship would be waiting. In a short time, he would be transported to his flagship, and he could take his rightful place as commander of his species. This was the start of a new age for the Wraith.

**Atlantis Conference Room One**

"That is unacceptable." O'Neill was hoping he wouldn't have to use that word in the negotiations, but he knew all along that he would. It was inevitable. "We simply can't give you those weapons."

The negotiations had been ongoing for hours already, and the separate parties were growing agitated. O'Neill had also been hoping that he would only have to sit through one day of this, but it was becoming apparent that he was wrong.

Adama leaned forward in his seat. "We saw what those weapons did to those ships, those 'Wraith' ships... They would be the best means for us to defend ourselves."

"I'm sorry Admiral, but the General is right, Dr. Baltar's demands aren't acceptable. We can't simply hand over technology like that to anyone who asks for it." Carter backed up O'Neill, as he knew she would. "There are other weapons we could give you however, weapons capable of giving you a real edge over your main enemy, and a fighting chance against others..."

"...And don't forget, we will always help you, if you ever fall under attack. Be it Wraith, Cylons, or whoever else." Daniel continued from Sam, hoping to appease the Colonials slightly.

The President stared at him with a stern expression. "I should think so. Although we may have been separated for a long time, we were still all created by the same gods, you are our brethren..."

Daniel looked surprised. They hadn't had time to talk about this side of things yet. "You see the Ancients as gods?"

"We were created by the Lords of Kobol, Dr. Jackson. Our colonies, and your tribe, left Kobol many years ago..."

"We're pretty sure human life originated on Earth, we have evidence of that..."

"Well obviously your 'evidence' is wrong." Roslin felt almost insulted by the doctor's assertions, she had seen aliens for the first time and a massive flying city all in the space of a few days, but this was too much. The remarks went against everything she believed it.

"I doubt that Madam President."

Thor raised a finger, taking the attention of the room. "You may both be right, at least in part."

Baltar looked intrigued. "How could that be possible?"

"There were cases of the Ancients spreading the human population across the Galaxy. It is possible that Earth was already inhabited when the 13th Tribe left Kobol to find it, and the two cultures integrated."

No one spoke for a moment. "...There could be a way to find out." Sheppard stood from his seat and opened the Conference room doors, before turning and noticing that no one else had gotten up, everyone was staring at him. "Follow me."

**Hologram Room**

The four parties all walked into the Hologram Room of Atlantis, hoping it would provide them with answers. At this point, it was the only way to verify Thor's theory. Sheppard stepped up to the control platform, and brought up a hologram of an Ancient woman, all in white with a slight glow around her. Without hesitation, he asked the question.

The Colonials and Cylons looked on in awe as the holographic woman began to explain the history of the Twelve Colonies. Finally, she came to the part they were all waiting for. "...Eventually, the people of Kobol split into two separate peoples, one group destined for a system within a relatively short distance of the planet, while the other group was bound for Earth..." The expressions on the faces of the city's visitors were intense as they listened. "...This tribe eventually reached their destination, leaving signs along the way, if their brethren were to ever search for them. They integrated with the native people of planet Earth, and the two became one."

Following the completion of the answer, the Ancient hologram disappeared, and the group were left silent. Laura wasn't sure she wanted to believe it, but even though it went against what she believed, it still held true to the scriptures. It made sense. She couldn't deny that.

**Heracles**

"No! No don't do that, you'll just make it worse!" McKay was frantic; he was growing tired of amateurs being assigned to such important positions. "You may have been the best at whatever stupid College you came from but this is the real world!" He tried his best to show his authority, but the squeal that escaped him as one of the bridge consoles overloaded did him no favours.

"Sorry about that sir..."

McKay was about to fly into a fit of rage before someone stopped him. "Meredith. Stop scaring the scientists!" He turned around to see his sister entering the bridge, finding it troubling with her crutches.

"Jeannie? What are you doing here?" He rushed over to his sister. "Jennifer said that you should rest."

"It's OK Rodney, I'm improving quicker than she'd hoped. When you've got an Ancient infirmary to go to, things like this don't keep you down for long." McKay grinned before hugging his sibling, being constantly wary of hurting her leg.

He pulled away for a moment, looking suspiciously at Jeannie. "So, what are you doing here exactly?"

"I thought you could use some help. I heard things went a bit downhill last night."

"You're telling me! We were making real progress, and then we tried to bring the ship to full power... But don't worry; I've got everything under control!"

His sister looked over his shoulder, seeing the scientists behind him almost shaking in fear, each wondering who he would scream at next. "Oh yeah. Really under control."

Rodney gave her a look that only a sibling could give, it didn't take a scientist to realise that she was being sarcastic.

**Atlantis Mess Hall**

It had been a long day, and the negotiations had finally ended. They would begin again tomorrow, but for now O'Neill didn't want to think about that. He had originally meant to be enjoying some food with Sam, Daniel and Teal'c but they had found themselves otherwise occupied. Sam was with Lee Adama, who hadn't had a chance to see her since she was shot. Vala had cooked Daniel a meal, and he had decided to rest. And Teal'c... Teal'c had found himself in the makeshift bar the Expedition members had set up, along with Ronon Dex, Kara Thrace, and Samuel Anders. Jack was a little disappointed, but hey, at least the kids were off doing their own thing.

"May I join you?" Jack turned around to see Admiral Adama standing near him, wearing the same expression he had worn since Jack had first met him.

"Be my guest, Admiral." The General moved along the seat slightly, allowing for more room. "I was starting to feel a bit... unpopular sitting here by myself." O'Neill noticed the Admiral let out a small chuckle.

The two men sat in silence for a moment, before the Admiral spoke. "So, do you feel the negotiations went well today General?"

"First, yes. I do. I think we're getting somewhere, slowly but surely." He turned to the Admiral. "I do know how important this is for your people. I hope you understand that. We want the best for you, we don't want to exploit you." He turned back to look at his water. "And second... Call me Jack."

There was another silence for a moment, before Adama spoke again. "You know, it's funny..."

O'Neill waited for a second for the Admiral to finish his sentence, but he didn't. Maybe he was thinking out loud? "What is?"

"No more than a few hours ago, we were at each other's throats arguing about who would get what technology, how soon aid would be delivered, what relationship we would have with your allies and what we could expect from them. What would be done with the Battlestar Ares... Then there was the religious side of things. I was really hoping that wouldn't be dragged up... Now, we're sitting together here, drinking water and... just talking. I think I prefer it."

Now O'Neill was chuckling. "No matter how much we disagree in negotiations, we don't need to bring that outside the conference room. Things will work out, eventually. We can't let the disagreements get personal."

The Admiral agreed. "... If we are going to forge a relationship between our two peoples, it can't just be built on business."

Jack smiled. "Indeed." The two men took another ship of their drinks. "How do you feel about joining Kara and the others in the bar? This water isn't doing anything for me. I think..." He was interrupted by Amelia Banks over the intercom before he was able to finish his sentence.

"General O'Neill, where are you?"

Jack stood up, hearing the tone in the technician's voice. "I'm in the mess hall with Admiral Adama. What's going on Banks?"

"Sir, you need to see this... In fact, I think you both do..."

**Atlantis Control Room**

"I want to know what's going on right now!" O'Neill walked in to the Control Room hungry for information. Something was going down. Sam and Lee were both already there, and the President was on her way.

Carter walked over to meet the General and Admiral as they entered. "As you know, the Wraith left their planet earlier today. We were expecting them to drop out of hyperspace hours ago, but they never did."

"Old news Sam, what's happened now?"

"Well, following the end of negotiations Thor took his ship to try and track their fleet, and he's just reported back... They've made their first stop..."

"And?"

Sam sighed, unsure of how to break the news. "And it wasn't where we thought it would be. Not only have they travelled much further than we thought capable, they are also following a different course. We thought they were coming to Atlantis, but we've discovered they aren't..." A look of realisation dawned on the faces of O'Neill and Adama. "They're going for Earth."


	17. Chapter 16: Preperations

**Chapter 16**

**SGC**

"I don't understand how this is possible." General George Hammond sat opposite General Hank Landry in the SGC briefing room, the two men engaged in a private conversation of the utmost importance. "How long have we got to prepare?"

"If they continue at the speed they've been travelling at, they'll be here in a little over a month."

"How the hell did they manage to advance their hyperdrives so quickly?"

"My only guess is that the Wraith known as Todd or one of his scientists used the information they learned when they captured the Daedalus in 2008. It's the most logical explanation."

Hammond sighed. He knew that would come back to haunt them in the future. "I take it our ships are on the way back from Pegasus?"

"Yes, they are. Teal'c is already back on Chulak, rallying the Jaffa." A frown crossed Landry's face. "Hopefully it'll be enough."

"Hopefully."

**Caprica**

Colonel Bolton stared at the mighty Battlestar floating in space. It had been mere hours since he had returned from Earth, with both a crew to repair the Ares, and the news that the Wraith were coming to the Milky Way. It was a dark day, and it made the discovery of the Ares all the more important. If the SGC were to stop the massive Wraith fleet advancing towards the planet, they would need every ship and ally they could muster.

The Asgard were lending a helping hand, they had sent a number of their own scientists to help upgrade the Ares. This would move things along drastically, and the Ares would have shields and energy weapons within days. They admitted it would be harder to upgrade than the likes of a 304, but it would be ready well before the Wraith attacked. Bolton knew this should have given him some semblance of hope. But it didn't. The Wraith were coming for Earth, in a fleet of unprecedented size. He wasn't afraid to admit, he was scared.

**Atlantis Conference Room One**

The mood in the conference room was solemn. The meeting was much smaller than the one the day before, with O'Neill, Daniel, Roslin and Adama the only people in attendance. The news had come like a dagger to Roslin. They had finally found Earth, only to discover that it could soon be wiped out by an enemy even worse than the Cylons. An enemy that would use the people of Earth as food before disregarding the planet itself.

"What can we do to help?" The President of the Colonies knew there wasn't much that her people could do, but they had only just found their long lost brothers, she wasn't about to let them be destroyed without doing everything she could to help stop it.

"Well..." Jack began, "Since this little piece of news hit the headlines we've decided it's best to re-evaluate where we stand in regards to upgrading your ships."

Adama looked slightly surprised. "What exactly does that mean?"

Daniel leaned forward, straightening his glasses. "It means that we have a team of Asgard prepared to board the Galactica to begin restoring your ship to it's original glory, and upgrading it with both a hyperdrive and shields."

"We can' give you plasma weapons yet. However, we are willing to provide you with nukes of a much higher yield than those you currently use. If your willing to give the go ahead, of course." Jack knew it was too early to start giving their allies the Asgard energy weapons, and Thor agreed with him. However, if the Galactica was going to pack a punch against the Wraith, it was going to have to have some sort of upgraded weaponry.

Laura smiled. "That is very generous of you and the Asgard General. We are of course happy for them to proceed with the upgrades." The President knew she would have been stupid to say no. "What of our people, the ones you found back in the Colonies? Will they be coming to Atlantis?"

"No." Jack replied.

"Can I ask why not?"

"We don't intend for Atlantis to stay here. We need every ship we can get if we're to stop the Wraith. The IOA have made it clear to Colonel Carter and myself that Atlantis is to join the fight."

"What does that mean for our people?" Adama asked, hoping that the rest of the fleet would not have to remain behind, alone in the Pegasus Galaxy.

"Once the Asgard have completed upgrades to the Galactica they will begin working on any of your other ships that can be made battle capable. Atlantis itself will be able to carry part of your fleet, and the Samantha Carter will carry the others. Again, with your permission. The Asgard will also be upgrading the Cylon Basestar in return for information about their resurrection technology."

Roslin was unsure of what to make of this. "Will the fleet be taken to Earth?"

"No." Daniel replied. "Only the battle capable ships. The rest will be taken straight to your new home planet, before Atlantis and the Asgard ship move on to the battle. Your battle capable ships will only need skeleton crews, and we will have a number of our own people aboard to help your people operate them."

There was a brief pause before Roslin spoke again. "...We accept."

**Atlantis Control Room**

Colonel John Sheppard walked into the Control Room to see Samantha Carter ending a conversation with Dr. McKay, currently on the Heracles. As the screen went black, Sam turned to greet him.

"How's he doing?"

Sam smiled, something she found hard to do at that particular time. "The good news is Rodney and his team should have the Heracles operational long before the enemy fleet reaches Earth. They expect to be able to leave at the same time as us."

"That's good news. Kind of why I'm here actually, I came to ask when you think we'll be able to leave. The sooner we get back to the Milky Way Galaxy the better."

"Well, we've got people working around the clock... The Colonials have just given the go ahead for their ships to be upgraded, so hopefully we'll be ready by the time the Asgard are finished."

"Those little guys work fast."

"And so will we."

"Okay. I've got to go and brief the Colonial Pilots on Wraith battle tactics. Just let me know if you need me." The Colonel turned to leave, but was stopped before he could exit.

"John..." Sam hesitated, speaking in a quiet tone of voice.

"Yeah?"

"...When I saw my father, and when you saw Dr. Weir... Do you think this is what they were trying to warn us about?"

John grimaced. "They're gone Sam. And those were just dreams."

"Now you see, I don't know if I can believe that. I know, it couldn't really have been my dad, or Elizabeth, but it wouldn't be the first time that an Ancient has tried to help us in an... obscure way."

"If it was the Ancients, I sure hope they've got our backs on this one."

The Colonels turned to look at a large Lantean screen showing scans of a massive Wraith fleet, a reminder looming ominously over the people in the Control Room working desperately and tirelessly to prepare Atlantis for her imminent journey back to the Milky Way.

"So do I..."

**Teyla's Quarters**

Teyla Emmagen stood silent, embracing her partner in the centre of her quarters. Neither had spoken for minutes now. The revelation that Teyla would not be joining her husband and son in returning to their people had come as a shock to Kanaan.

"...I... I don't understand Teyla... The Wraith are leaving this Galaxy for another, we can live in peace."

Teyla broke the embrace, a look of sadness on her face. "These people, the people of Atlantis... They have done everything they could to help me, to help our people, and to help our galaxy. Because of what they've done, our child won't have to worry about the next culling, or whether his own children will be safe in the future."

"But this isn't your fight..." Kanaan placed his hands on her shoulders, looking deep into her eyes.

"Yes. It is. No matter what happens to me, I know Torren will be safe with you. He'll grow to be a leader, and an amazing person. But I have to do this..."

"You don't Teyla. Colonel Sheppard even said so himself, he'd rather you..."

"Kanaan." Teyla cut him off before he could finish. "I have to do this." The way she spoke the words made Kanaan realise that there was no way he could stop her from fighting alongside her friends. They embraced once again, before Teyla walked over to Torren, asleep in his crib. He watched her, knowing that it could very well be the last time the three of them were together.

**Galactica Pilot's Ready Room**

John had only been aboard Galactica 15 minutes before it was time to address the Colonial Viper pilots. They'd only faced the Wraith once but that was enough for them to know that they were an enemy to be reckoned with. He stepped up to the podium, feeling slightly uneasy about addressing the Colonial pilots before him. He hesitated for a moment, before beginning.

"Hello... My name is Colonel John Sheppard, and as I'm sure you all know I'm here to talk to you about Wraith Battle tactics." He looked out over the crowd. Most were listening intently. "Now from what I've heard about Cylon raiders, the Wraith are quite different. You'll have to be prepared for the unexpected when you face them, and that can be hard. For example, the darts have been known to make kamikaze runs. We can't let them do this, not against Earth..." He noticed two young pilots at the back, chatting to each other and laughing quietly. "...While we should be able to... stop most of the Hive's fire in orbit... OK, will you two shut the hell up?"

The two pilots turned to face the Colonel. "Earth is in serious danger. If the Wraith take it and gain a foothold in the Milky Way, you can kiss goodbye to any hope of finding a safe haven. I need each and every one of you to be ready for what's about to happen. If you can't sit and listen to me for five god-damn minutes... then I guess we haven't got a chance."

The two pilots begrudgingly apologized, before Sheppard continued. "Thank you. Now as I was saying, we should be able to keep the Hives busy in orbit and draw most of their fire, but Darts will slip through. We need to be ready for in atmosphere fighting. We should be able to take a number of Hives out with a special weapons platform we have on Earth, but sadly that hasn't got nearly enough..." Sheppard paused for a moment. "...Well, I guess you could call it ammunition left to take on the entire fleet."

John continued to speak of the Wraith's abilities and how they could combat them, and by the time the Colonial pilots left the room they were feeling uneasy. He hadn't wanted to worry them too much, but he wasn't going to sugar-coat it. These people had survived for so long, the fear of destruction keeping them going and making them all great pilots. If that fear worked for them when the Wraith came knocking, he wasn't going to do anything to take it away from them.

The pilots piled out of the room, until the only two people left were the Colonel and Lee Adama. "Congratulations, I think you got their attention."

"Thanks..." John replied with a slight tone of worry in his voice. "I hope it'll be enough."

"They're good pilots. I trust that they'll do everything they can to help Earth."

Sheppard didn't disagree. He'd heard about the feats they'd accomplished and wasn't disappointed. "I just hope they go in there taking on board what they've been told. The darts are fundamentally different to the Cylon Raiders.."

A grin crossed Lee's face. "From what I've heard about darts, they won't have to try as hard."

"Yeah..." Sheppard returned the grin. "We'll see. So will you be the one leading them when the time comes?"

"No. I've been asked by General O'Neill to head to Earth tomorrow with a hand-picked team to take temporary command of the Battlestar Ares. He says his superiors want a constant Colonial presence on the ship anyway, even after the Wraith attack."

"Sounds good. I'm sure you'll make a good Battlestar Commander... again."

"I just hope I don't have to ram this one into anything to get the job done."

Sheppard chuckled at that. "No, that would be a bit of a bitch..."

The two men walked towards the door, and into the cold metal hallways of Galactica. "Maybe when we get through this I could teach you how to fly a Viper."

John's eyes lit up. "Now that sounds like a plan."


	18. Chapter 18: Plan B

**Chapter 17**

**Atlantis**

Over the next week, the humans, Colonials and Asgard worked night and day to ensure the Wraith would be met with a fleet capable of stopping them in their tracks when they reached Earth. The forces of two galaxies rallied together, recognizing that doing so was the only way to stop their advancing foe.

It would soon be time for Atlantis and the Colonials to depart. They were a little behind schedule, but the humans and Colonials were safe in the knowledge that they would still make it to Earth in time. The Galactica was upgraded and looked better than she had in years. The Asgard had noticed stress fractures in the ship that indicated she wouldn't have lasted much longer had they not upgraded her. Luckily, that wasn't going to be a problem now. The Astral Queen, the only other Colonial ship capable of fighting, had also been upgraded. The situation in the Milky Way was also positive. Earth's ships had all arrived back home, and the Battlestar Ares was now there too. Teal'c had gotten the Jaffa to agree to provide help, and a small armada of Hataks would soon be arriving.

Meanwhile, Dr. McKay had finally returned to Atlantis following his time aboard the Heracles. The Ancient ship was now battle ready, with a 'little help from the Asgard', and Rodney could now take a little time to relax on Atlantis. Or at least that's what he'd been told. He couldn't relax, not with the current situation. He'd been spending days just thinking, trying to come up with any way that could tip the balance in their favour. And he'd finally thought of something. He stood outside of Colonel Sheppard's quarters, so many thoughts running through his head. Was this a good idea? Should John be the first person he goes to? Could this cause even bigger problems for the humans and Colonials? Atlantis was leaving tomorrow evening, he knew if he was going to do something he had to do it now.

He waved his hand across the crystals next to John's door, alerting the man inside to his presence. He stood impatiently for a minute, before the doors opened revealing a tired John Sheppard. The Colonel rubbed his eyes, adjusting to the light in the hallway. "What the hell are you doing here Rodney? It's 2AM. We've got a big day tomorrow..."

"Yes, yes, I know that, but I really need to talk to you..."

John sighed. "What about?"

"I think I know a way we can win this battle... Like insurance, in case the fleet isn't enough to stop the Wraith."

There was a pause for a moment, before the Colonel begrudgingly let the other man into his quarters. He pulled on a shirt and sat on his bed, wishing he could just go back to sleep. "Shoot."

"I wasn't sure whether this idea would be too well received, that's why I came to you first..."

"Yeah, yeah, just get on with it McKay, I'm tired."

"Well... I suppose you remember that planet we sent Dr. Weir and her... Replicator friends to a couple of years ago?"

"Of course I do."

"I thought that if we went there in a Puddle Jumper and picked Dr. Weir up we'd be able to re-animate her and..."

"What?" John was shocked, to say the least. "What the hell does this have to do with the Wraith?"

"Well if you'd let me finish!" Rodney waited for a response. There was none, so he carried on. "If we pick up Elizabeth and re-animate her, we may be able to use her to destroy the Wraith fleet."

"How?"

"Well, when she was... 'ascended', she was able to transfer her conciousness into technology and manipulate it. If she could do that again, she should be able to destroy the Wraith Hives from the inside."

Sheppard sat, and thought for a second, before turning back to Rodney. "No."

"But... but this could be our best chance!"

"We know what happened the last time her and her 'friends' were here. I don't want to take the risk."

"It would only be her. She could do it herself, easily. It's worth it."

"No."

Rodney stood, staring at John in disbelief. He knew it was a long shot, but to dismiss their best hope without even considering it properly wasn't right. He was about to argue, when he noticed a look on John's face that he hadn't seen in a long time. He turned to go, opening the door to the other man's quarters. He was about to step outside, when he turned to his friend and team mate. "Is this really about the threat to Atlantis?" The other man looked up at him. "Or is it because you feel like you'd be using her?"

There was silence for a moment as neither man spoke. Rodney turned to leave again, but John stopped him. "You heard what she said, what the experience was like the first time. It wasn't nice... at all. I don't want to wake her up just to put her through that again. It's not right."

"Neither is the destruction and enslavement of the human race, but if we're not careful, it's going to happen."

John looked for an answer to McKay's remark, but there was none. He was right. The fleet that they were putting together was impressive, but there was nothing to say that it would be enough to combat such a huge Wraith fleet. And even if they succeeded, there would no doubt be thousands of losses, to Earth and her allies. "It... It just doesn't feel..."

"I know John. Believe me, I do. I don't like it, using her like that... But if it means the lives of the billions of people on Earth... or even the lives of a few hundred crew members are saved, then it's worth it." He looked at the Colonel, who was considering their options. "Think about it... Let me know in the morning."

"Meet me here at 07:00." McKay was stopped once again as he went to leave. "We'll present the idea to Colonel Carter together."

**Atlantis Conference Room One**

"And... That's our idea..." Rodney sat back in his chair, waiting.

Carter looked at the two men in front of her with a slight sense of disbelief. She wasn't sure if they were playing a joke on her, but she looked over at John and she could tell by the look on his face and his past history with Weir that he wouldn't joke about this. "Do you two know what your asking me to do? If I present the plan to the IOA as the Commander of Atlantis, I could lose my position. Considering what happened last time..."

"Well... I was against it too at first Colonel, but it is a good plan... and I've thought about this. We don't have to tell the IOA."

"DON'T tell the IOA?" Sam thought about it for a moment, and realised that John had actually made quite a good point. If the plan failed, they'd all be dead and wouldn't have to answer to the IOA. If the plan worked, the IOA wouldn't have a leg to stand on when it came time for Carter to answer for what her and her people had done.

"It'll work Sam. I promise."

"Don't promise Rodney. I know the risks. And I can't exactly call them small."

"Well neither is that fleet of Hive ships out there right now."

Sam thought for a moment, before leaning forward, cupping her hands on the desk and addressing both of the men in front of her. "Are you guys actually okay with this? On a personal level?"

"I can't say I am..." John replied. "But it helps to stop the Wraith, then it has to be done. We can't let a single Hive survive the battle and reach Earth. This is the best way to stop them."

"Do you think Dr. Weir will be cooperative?"

"I'd bet on it."

The Colonel sat in thought for what seemed like minutes. Finally, she made her decision. "Okay, we have to work fast. We've only got about twelve hours before we leave the system. I'll tell the General of what we're doing, but not the IOA. Get Ronon and Teyla and take out a Jumper. You have a go. I have to see off Lee Adama, he's heading out to Earth this morning. Let me know as soon as you get back."

The two men shot up out of their seats. "Will do Colonel."

**SGC**

Less than 15 minutes after her meeting in the conference room, Colonel Carter had said good luck to Lee Adama, and sent him on his way to Earth. The first Colonial to step foot on the planet once thought a myth, now the planet that would be the remainder of his people's salvation. He was honoured, and pretty scared at the same time. As he stepped through the Earth end of the Gate- another amazing experience in itself- he took in his surroundings. It was... less impressive then Atlantis had been. But then he had been informed that the Gate was currently in a secret underground base, so he hadn't set his hopes on first impressions. He walked down the metal ramp in front of him to be met by three smiling men.

"Mr. Adama, it's good to meet you." The man in the centre extended his hand, which Lee firmly shook. "I'm General Hank Landry, base commander of the SGC. This is General Hammond on my right, and Richard Woolsey on my left."

"Nice to meet you all." Lee shook the other two men's hands in turn, before following the three of them out of the main Gate room and into a large hallway.

They were soon in a room overlooking the Gate room, with a large table in the middle of it. Lee walked straight to the windows, looking down at the Gate below. It was different to the Atlantis gate. Not as advanced by the looks of things, more... raw. Something that, after spending so long in the fleet, he identified a lot more with. "It's amazing."

Woolsey smiled. "Yes. Yes it is." He gestured to the table, and the four sat down, ready to start the proceedings.

"Mr. Adama," Landry began, "we need to discuss something with you, before we start."

"Yes?"

Hammond and Landry shared a glance, before turning back to the younger man. "We sent out a scout ship to investigate the wormhole you travelled through."

"Oh?" Lee was taken off guard by this, after all the commotion recently he had almost forgotten about how the fleet had ended up in the Pegasus Galaxy.

Mr. Woolsey frowned. "We've discovered something... surprising about it."

**Atlantis Mess Hall**

Carter walked into the mess hall of Atlantis to see it almost empty. There were a few people scattered around, and in one corner sat General Jack O'Neill, a beer in his hand. She walked over to her ex commanding officer and good friend, pulling up a chair beside him.

"So... It looks pretty empty in here."

"Yes sir. I guess everyone is preparing for this evening." There was an awkward pause between the two for a moment. "I take it you got my message?"

"Yes, I did. And I've gotta say, I'm not sure Carter... This all sounds a little too... risky?"

"I understand sir, but I think it could work. I trust McKay and Colonel Sheppard to do the right thing."

O'Neill sighed. He couldn't say whether or not he would have given the go ahead to the plan, he felt it was one of those things when the only way you could know whether you'd say yes or no was if you were the one sitting there and having to actually say it. Either way, this was Sam's command, and he wasn't about to impinge on it. "Well... I hope it works out alright."

"Me too. There's a hell of a lot riding on this now."

"I think it's best not too."

O'Neill smirked. "I don't blame you. I doubt you'd get much support for an idea like that. Sometimes it's best to just make the decisions yourself and deal with it later."

"I hope you're right Sir."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I trust you. And you wouldn't make a decision unless you thought it was the right thing to do. That's good enough for me." Carter smiled back at him as he handed her a bottle that had been sitting on the end of a table. "Here, I got you a beer. Thought you might need it."

Sam opened the bottle and took a drink from it. "Thanks. You were right."

**Puddle Jumper**

The Puddle Jumper shot through the space gate, entering orbit of a planet whose address the team thought they would never dial again.

Sheppard and Rodney sat at the front of the Jumper, with Ronan and Teyla sitting close behind. No one had said a word since they entered the small ship, bar Sheppard getting the go ahead for launch. None of the team members could quite believe what they were about to do, even Rodney, who'd thought up the idea in the first place.

The HUD flashed up in front of them, showing the planet below. "I'm not picking up any Replicators, Rodney."

"Weird..." Rodney replied.

"What is?"

"That sentence being used as a bad thing..."

John turned to his friend, irritated. "Where are they?"

"Take us into orbit. It's possible they were pulled into orbit themselves."

Teyla leaned forward. "Is it not also possible that they were pulled into the atmosphere... and destroyed?"

John winced at that.

Rodney turned towards the HUD, watching it intently for any sign of the missing Replicators. "There's only one way to find out.

**Adama's Quarters**

Adama and Roslin sat either side of the Admiral's desk, sharing one of the last bottles of Ambrosia in the fleet, possibly in existence. The old man filled Laura's glass first, and then his own, before sitting back in his chair and sipping from the glass. The two shared a smile across the table.

"So Bill... What do you make of our new allies?"

"... I'm... grateful for them. The fleet was falling apart. Hell, the Galactica was falling apart before the Asgard got to work on her. We wouldn't have lasted much longer..."

"Especially not since we came across those space-vampires..." The two shared a brief chuckle. The idea would be almost humorous, if it hadn't been so frighteningly real. "How do you feel about sending her into a war that... Well, a war that isn't ours?"

"I have no doubts that the people of Earth will lend us their help, if we ever encounter Cavils forces again. If we can't do the same, then we aren't really allies..."

"But what if the Galactica is destroyed, Bill? The fleet, our new home world will be without protection."

"Hey." Bill took her hand, holding it on his desk, rubbing his thumb across the ring he had placed on her finger months before. "The people will never be without protection again."

He smiled at her again, and she held his hand tighter.

"We're safe now."

**Puddle Jumper**

"There" Rodney pointed at a number of red dots that appeared on the HUD. "I'm willing to bet it's them..."

Sheppard set the Jumper on a course to intercept the frozen synthetic bodies, breathing a sigh of relief that Weir hadn't been destroyed by the planet's atmosphere. Teyla and Ronon stood, coming closer to the screen and looking out over space and the planet below.

Ronon squinted. "...That's them."

"He's right..." Rodney confirmed. "The readings correspond with what I'd expected... Get us in closer."

The Puddle Jumper approached at high speed, giving the inhabitants a better look at the replicators. Teyla turned to Sheppard. "You don't have to do this John... This is your last chance to turn around..." She waited for him to respond, but he didn't. His silence told her everything she needed to know.

The small Lantean ship pulled up close to the machine who bore resemblance to FRAN, the one with the consciousness of Elizabeth Weir inside. John sealed the internal door, before opening the airlock at the back of the ship, and carefully manoeuvring the craft so that Weir would come aboard.

"Steady... We don't want to damage her."

"You think I don't know that, Rodney?"

His friend was about to argue, but for once recognized that it wasn't the time or the place to do so. Eventually, the body was aboard, and John re-sealed the back section of the ship.

"Got her."


	19. Chapter 19

Sorry, after much deliberation I've decided to update this story, so it's more in line with the end of Atlantis, and the second half of BSG's 4th season. Though I will be avoiding that ending... Hopefully it'll be better than the original.

The URL, for anyone who wants to read the new story: .net/s/5345908/1/Out_of_the_Dark_Take_II


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